MegaRoll NT Warriors
by WiiFan2009
Summary: A series of fluffy oneshots centering around MegaMan.EXE and Roll.EXE. Each oneshot is based off of a coresponding chapter from the NT Warrior Anime.
1. Chapter One: Introductions

Chapter One: Introductions

Roll looked down at Maylu through the screen of the PET. The pink-haired girl lay asleep on the hospital bed that she had been on since the ambulance carried her away. _This was too close. I should have seen this coming. This was hardly the first fire; I should have known it was only a matter of time. I should have cancelled today's lesson…_ Roll sighed as she kicked herself for letting Maylu get hurt by World Three.

Her thoughts turned to Lan and his new NetNavi. _They really came through for us…_ Roll smiled as she remembered the battle in Maylu's oven. _That boy may be a dense and lazy student, but he's one heck of a NetBattler. And his Navi…he's definitely something else._ "He had good timing, that's for sure. If Lan hadn't gotten him today, we would have definitely been goners…"

 _Earlier that Day_

Maylu was sitting in her chair, diligently preparing her homework to hand in. Ms. Mari hadn't come in yet, so the classroom was as quiet as a Ratton. Sadly, the peace would not last. Both Lan and Dex burst through the door, having one of their typical Net Battle arguments. "Yeah right, Lan. You really think that you can beat me? After I've beaten you a dozen times in a row?"

"You bet I can, Dex. Thirteen's MY lucky number, and this time, I'm gonna win!"

"Thirteen's an UNLUCKY number Lan. All that means is I'm gonna beat you with one punch!"

Maylu sighed as she got back to file organization. _Yep, just another day in the life of DenTech Elementary…_

She had seen this play a thousand times, and so had Roll, as she piped up from the PET. "Another Net Battle today?"

"Yep. Lan seems to think thirteen is his lucky number. You mind pushing my homework back a half hour so I can bring him home when he wallows in self-pity afterwards?"

Roll nodded, accessing the schedule and moving the homework block forward a half hour. Right after it finished, Maylu piped up "Hold on, this is getting interesting…"

Both Maylu and Roll listened intently as Lan held up his PET and proclaimed "My new NetNavi MegaMan is gonna pulverize your GutsMan the same way he deleted the viruses in my mom's oven, Dex!"

Dex scoffed at the insinuation that anyone's Navi was tougher than his own. "Dream on, Lan! By the time I'm done with him, you'll have to change his name to MicroMan!"

Maylu ceased eavesdropping and turned her attention back to Roll. "That's interesting; Lan has his own custom NetNavi now. Looks like you might have a new friend, Roll."

Roll rolled her eyes and exclaimed "I just hope it's not another schmoozing womanizer. One GutsMan is bad enough, I don't think I can handle two!"

Maylu smiled optimistically and replied "Well, don't judge him before you meet him. Speaking of which, can you change that half-hour from comforting Lan to meeting the new Net Navi?"

Roll sighed and replied "Oh alright…" She swiped her finger across the menu and changed the task description. "There, it's done; right after your piano lesson. Now if you'll excuse me, class starts in ten, and I've got to prepare the automatic no for Dex's date proposal of the week."

Maylu giggled and replied "Alright, Roll. Good luck." Her attention turned as Lan sat next to her, launching into a happy rant about his new Net Navi MegaMan.

As expected, Dex sent GutsMan to ask Maylu out, and upon being rejected GutsMan then asked Roll out, much to her disgust. Only a well-timed Roll Blast drove the robotic gorilla away, causing a scene that caused almost the entire class to laugh at Dex. The rest of the day went off with little excitement, and when Ms. Mari dismissed class Maylu shouted quickly "Bye Lan! I'll come by after my piano lesson to introduce Roll to MegaMan!"

Maylu hurried home and had Roll set the alarm clock on her PET before playing the piano piece that her online instructor had sent for her to practice. Meanwhile Roll relaxed on the couch in Maylu's PC, her mind wandering to the new NetNavi Lan received. Despite her earlier comments and pessimism, she had to admit having a new friend made her curious. _I wonder what he'll be like. I suppose as long as he keeps his space, we'll get along fine._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a feminine screech coming from the kitchen. "Maylu!" She brought up the video feed form the house kitchen to find a fire blazing from the kitchen, smoke blinding Maylu and causing her to cough uncontrollably. Roll instantly jacked in to the oven, finding an army of viruses causing damage everywhere. Before she could even send an attack, three Mettaurs swung their pickaxes, creating shockwaves that joined together and hit Roll causing her to screech and throwing her backwards. She checked her HP and found that it had been decreased by half. _I can't delete all these viruses by myself. I need help. But who would possibly have a Navi strong enough to take on an army? Wait a Minute!_ Her mind flashed back to Lan's taunting conversation about beating Dex with his new Navi. _Lan's Navi MegaMan and GutsMan are having a battle today. I've got to get to the school network._

Jacking out, she traveled across the internet, and when she located the signatures from Dex and Lan's PETs, she screeched as loud as she could "Someone Help!" She zapped down between the two rivals, her eyes frantic as she caught a glimpse of the new Navi; a relatively short and lean Navi about her height covered from head to toe in blue. She was drawn in by his green eyes that were similar to her own. Not bothering with an introduction, she ran up to him and pleaded "It's Maylu. She's in trouble!"

"Maylu? What kind of trouble?"

She pulled up a video file and said "Here's the uplink; everything just exploded into flames!"

Lan wasted no time in urging MegaMan to cyberlink to Maylu's oven. MagaMan nodded in affirmative without a moment's hesitation. "Alright, Roll. Let's do this!"

Roll nodded as she took his hand, disappearing in a swirl of data bits as they took the link to Maylu's oven, with GutsMan quickly behind. She looked up at him on the way through the cyber tunnel, noting the determined expression on his face. _So this is MegaMan. I hope you're up to the task, MegaMan…_

When all three Navis reappeared in the flaming oven, MegaMan cringed back, exclaiming "Talk about a firewall!"

MegaMan and GutsMan went to work eliminating the viruses from afar with Mega Buster and Shockwave Attacks respectively. Roll just stayed between the two of them in an effort to stay out of their way. _With my HP so low, I'm practically useless right now…_ Roll clenched her fist in frustration as she watched MegaMan make quick work of the viruses. _He's good, better than any Navi I've seen before…_ she thought in admiration as she saw him delete the last viruses.

"Those were the last two" MegaMan remarked, to Roll's relief.

Glad the fire wasn't severe enough to burn down the entire house, Roll exclaimed "You stopped them just in time, MegaMan!"

Suddenly Roll felt an arm around her waist as MegaMan jumped with her in his arm, narrowly missing a very large fireball. _Great job Roll; you jinxed it. If MegaMan hadn't grabbed you and jumped away, you both would have been deleted!_

She looked up at him for a moment, blushing softly before hearing MegaMan remark "Who is this guy?"

The flame cleared away to reveal a Navi that looked like a giant industrial torch, appropriately named TorchMan who after giving a cheesy one-liner aimed his Fire-Arm at the two of them. MegaMan threw her to the side as he yelled "Get Back!"

She watched at TorchMan threw Fireballs at MegaMan and GutsMan. MegaMan jumped back and tried to use his Mega Buster, but they just bounced off of the arsonist Navi. With no way to get close, and ranged attacks being ineffective, the two Navis were easy targets for the World Three agent. She couldn't believe her eyes as MegaMan was thrown about like a ragdoll, and GutsMan was forced to log out.

Lan thankfully came to their rescue just in time. After jacking in, MegaMan loaded a Blaster chip, which MegaMan wasted no time in using to stun and damage TorchMan. Seizing the opportunity, MegaMan then used a CyberSword chip to zip across at lightning speed and slice TorchMan's Fire-Arm off, forcing the Navi to log out. MegaMan smirked at the arsonist's defeat. _And don't come back. Nobody hurts my NetOp's friends._

Staring in awe at his awesome comeback, she found the strength to get up and tackle him in a hug of gratitude and amazement. "You did it!"

 _End Flashback_

As she stood in the hospital's network, she came to a realization about the new Navi. _He helped me without a second thought, and he didn't even know me before._ _She realized that she had never actually introduced herself to him, and she felt a burning desire to be the blue Bomber's first real friend on the Net._ _It's time I introduced myself._

After a short walk through the DenTech City pathways, she found herself at the door that had formed at the entrance to Lan's PC. Despite her convictions about coming, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous about going to meet him. _Get a grip Roll; you're just going to introduce yourself. Just don't go overboard and you'll be fine._

Swallowing her nervousness, she raised her hand and knocked thrice. A few seconds passed before the door opened, during which she heard an annoyed voice almost yell "No Lan, for the last time, I Am NOT Doing Your Homework FOR YOU." Hearing a visual menu close, the door opened to reveal the familiar blue helmet peering out to see who was there. He looked ahead to see a familiar pink Navi staring back at him. "Hello. You're Maylu's NetNavi, right? Roll was it? I think that's what Lan said your name was…"

Roll shyly nodded. _He remembered my name…_ Megaman frowned and asked "Is something wrong Roll? Did something else happen to Maylu?"

Roll shook out of her almost trance and berated herself _Focus, Roll! Remember what you came here for!_ She shook her head replied "No, Maylu's fine. I was just wondering…could we talk for a minute, please?" She finished with a cute smile, trying to make a good impression.

MegaMan had a confused look on his face but shrugged and replied "Sure." He opened the door fully and finished "Come on in."

She walked in as he waited for her. After she came through the doorway, it disappeared into data streams whilst MegaMan quickly made a couch appear from the inactive data flying around. He took off his helmet, allowing his spiky blue hair to be revealed to his guest as the helmet disintegrated into data. _He kind of looks like Lan. If he were human, they could pass for twins…_ He took a seat on the couch and gestured for Roll to sit next to him. Smiling, she walked over and took her seat. _He's quite the gentleman. More so than GutsMan anyways…_

A surprisingly comfortable silence remained until the blue Navi broke it. "So what's on your mind?"

"A couple of things, really." She took a breath to steady her thoughts, and continued "I wanted to thank you for saving Maylu. It was very brave and kind of you, to come to our rescue like that." She blushed softly, remembering how cool she thought his battle performance was. "Maylu owes you her life, and I couldn't be more grateful that she's safe."

MegaMan smiled at the praise and replied "It was nothing; Lan and I couldn't let Maylu or anyone else get hurt by TorchMan's rampage. We did what was necessary, and besides, friends look out for each other."

 _Friends…_ Roll smiled and closed her eyes in response to his gesture of humility. "There's more, though…" She opened her eyes and looked directly at MegaMan, then continued "It made me realize, that I never properly introduced myself to you; that you came to my aid before even knowing my name. I want to be your friend, MegaMan, and I think it's time we had a proper introduction, if that's alright."

She looked at him with an almost pleading expression, trying to convey to the Blue Bomber that this was something she felt she needed to do. MegaMan smiled and replied "Sure thing; you go first."

Roll took a deep breath and began "My name is Roll. I am Maylu Sakurai's Net Navi and I help to manage her schedule, and if necessary battle for her. My favorite color is pink and I use these yellow ribbons on my helmet to attack and scan for information." Halfway through, Roll realized she was rambling, but couldn't think of a better introduction and closed her mouth before she said anymore.

"I thought this was a basic introduction, not a Dungeons & Dragons character bio!" MegaMan chuckled. Roll looked away, her face the color of her body armor due to embarassment. _Don't go overboard Roll; you can't go detailing every bit about yourself the first day you talk to the guy! What if he thinks you're weird and doesn't wanna be your friend?_ Before she could continue, MegaMan murmured "So I guess it's my turn huh?" MegaMan pretended to ponder and think for a minute, keeping his guest in suspense. Finally he stated "My name is MegaMan; I was specially created by Dr. Hikari to be Lan's personal NetNavi. I'm supposed to be his alarm clock, but we'll see how that works out…" This caused Roll to giggle as she knew from Maylu's constant waiting how hard it was to wake up Lan. "Anyways…" the NetNavi continued "as you can see, my favorite color is blue, and if Lan had his way I'd be doing his homework too."

"I can tell; I kinda overheard you telling Lan you wouldn't do his homework. Thanks, MegaMa…Mega…" Roll started to ponder. "Yeah; that's good!" She exclaimed without thinking, grinning in a way that made MegaMan slightly nervous. "From now on, you're Mega! Isn't that such a cute nickname?"

"Wha…What?" MegaMan stuttered. He wasn't sure how he felt about any nickname, let alone the one that Roll had so easily made up for him. He opened his mouth to ask if it was a little early to be making up nicknames. But one look into her eyes made him realize that the pink Navi was too enamored with it to let it go now. Closing his mouth and smiling in defeat, he said "Alright, fine. Mega it is. But YOU'RE the only one who gets to call me that."

"Deal" Roll said as she was filled with happiness. MegaMan absentmindedly started to remove his gloves and boots, intending to prepare for shut-down after his guest left, but stopped when he heard Roll gasp and saw her expression change from one of glee to one of shock. "Mega, your hand. What happened?"

"Huh?" MegaMan looked over his bare hand and saw a small but noticeable scorch mark on it. "Must have been from when Torchman was attacking while Lan was helping Maylu out of the house. It's no big deal really; it'll be gone by tomorrow" the young Navi reassured her.

"Mega…" she murmured. _I was right there; how did I not notice? And this was my fault; I have to do something!_ Silently making a decision, she turned to her newfound friend and held out her hand, saying only "Give me your hand." Seeing his confused expression, she encouraged "It's alright, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. Do you trust me?" MegaMan slowly nodded, giving the cute Navi his hand as a symbol of trust and friendship. Calling upon her special ability, she had her ribbons bend and twist so that they rested on his burn mark and glowed pink for a few moments. When the glow was gone, the burn had also vanished leaving MegaMan to stare in awe. Moving her loops back to their original shape, she said "Now we're even."

"Thanks, Roll" the Blue Bomber murmured, before looking at the clock. "It's getting late; you should get some rest."

Roll nodded, standing up and facing MegaMan. "It was great meeting you, Mega. I'll see you tomorrow!"

After shaking Roll's hand, he watched as she materialized a door and walked out, leaving MegaMan to get ready for shut-down. On the other side, Roll closed her eyes and held her hand over her emblem before jacking back in to the hospital system, falling asleep as she sat on the floor near Maylu's screen, dreaming about her new friend.

A/N: Edited – Rearranged the beginning to show a flashback to relevant parts of the pilot episode and added some dialogue.


	2. Chapter Two: Hacking

A/N: Edited: added in flashbacks to events occurring in episode 2 and 3 as well as expanding on an event mentioned in the next chapter. Also added in some extra thoughts and dialogue to the main part of the chapter.

Chapter Two: Hacking

"Zzz…" the young Netbattler snoozed away, not even bothering to take his shoes off. The Just an hour ago, Lan woke MegaMan up after having rushed to school to make it on time, only to realize that today was Saturday.

Whilst Lan was perfectly content to snooze away his Saturday, MegaMan wasn't so content to just go back to bed. His mind was kept awake by the events of the day prior, when NumberMan and Higsby hacked into the school security system to steal Yai's rare battle chips, trapping Ms. Mari, Yai, Dex, and Maylu in the process. Luckily, Lan and MegaMan had arrived just in time, and worked together with Roll to get past the school's firewall and save Glyde.

Now that the adrenaline rush from the previous day had subsided and the young Navi had some time to himself, he began to think about his pink counterpart whose scanning abilities had proven to be crucial in allowing Lan to decode the school security. _We never would have stopped Higsby without her, and I haven't even properly thanked her yet._ Standing up, he left a quick memo in the case that Lan woke up, and set off on the cyber road. _It's time I thanked you, Roll._

Throughout the short walk, his mind wandered to the young Navi he was on his way to see. Brief flashbacks popped in his head of their team dynamic in the school system. He remembered how concerned he was when NumberMan's viruses tried to attack her, and the ferocity that accompanied his Buster blasts. He also flashed back to earlier when they had first met Glyde

 _A few days ago_

"I am Glyde, Miss Yai's personal NetNavi." The butler-like Navi introduced himself before slightly bowing to the group. "Besides acting as her schedule support and translator, I also have a vast range of laser blasts for NetBattles."

 _Reminds me of Roll's introduction…_ thought the Blue Bomber. Being the social butterfly in the group, MegaMan decided to be the first to walk over and be the first to introduce himself. "I'm MegaMan…"

Before he could offer a handshake, Glyde brushed right by the young Navi, and right to his pink counterpart. "Hello. I'm honored to meet you." Before anyone had realized what was going on, Glyde had gently kissed Roll's gloved hand. Surprised, Roll gasped "Oh. What a gentleman…"

Though GutsMan had predictably shaken his oversized fist and told the butler Navi to back off, MegaMan just stood there, staring at Roll. He felt a small twinge of irritation towards the new Navi, but was confused; he didn't know why.

 _End Flashback_

MegaMan shook his head, passing it off as just being an overprotective friend. Holding back a yawn, the Blue Bomber stood at the security cube that stood between him and the pink door that led to Maylu's PC. He briefly pulled up a window and entered the code, flashing back to the day that he received the code.

 _Last Week_

MegaMan and Roll sat on the edge of the cyber platform as he finished telling her about his recent battle with World Three's ElecMan. "Wow Mega. That's twice you've gone against World Three and won. You're quite the powerful Net Navi, aren't you?" She playfully took one hand and rubbed it on his helmet, like how an older sister would ruffle her brother's hair.

MegaMan laughed as he ducked away from Roll's playfulness. They both laughed at their little game of keep away. After the giggles subsided, MegaMan brushed off the praise by saying "It was no big deal. We just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Well I think you were in the right place at the right time" Roll smiled at him warmly, causing her companion to blush. She reached behind her back and materialized a blue box with a pink bow. "Here…" Roll held it in front of him, causing the young boy to look at her in surprise.

"Roll, what's…" MegaMan was confused; the last thing he expected from anyone was a present. "Is this…"

Roll giggled at MegaMan's confused expression. _Too cute!_ After her giggles subsided, she replied "Consider it a little housewarming present. I would have given it to you sooner, but with the whole TorchMan fiasco I just kind of forgot about it…" She shook it in front of him. "Well don't just sit there staring at it, silly; go ahead and open it!"

Finally out of his trance, MegaMan smiled and took it, gently undoing the bow. Roll rolled her eyes at the meticulous care with which he undid the wrapping paper. After opening the cover, he saw two digital files inside. Holding them in his gloved hands, he asked "Roll, what are these?"

Roll smiled at the young boy and answered "The pink one is the link to Maylu's PC, and the grey one is the code to the security cube." She looked into his green eyes as she continued "I have a feeling that this won't be the last of World Three's stunts. If you ever need my help, if you ever need me to lend you a hand Mega, don't hesitate to knock on my door."

MegaMan stared with awe at the two programs in his hands. He turned to look at her and asked "You trust me that much Roll?"

Roll smiled at him and replied "You saved Maylu's life twice in a row Mega. I trust you with everything I have."

MegaMan absorbed the programs into his data structure, Roll watching as they disintegrated and the yellow icons on MegaMan's helmet glowed briefly. A couple tears dripped down his cheeks as he hugged her, surprising the pink Navi. "I promise you won't regret this Roll. I'll be honored to call you my partner…"

 _End Flashback_

And he was right; Roll didn't disappoint one bit. Once the cube disappeared, he proceeded to approach the door. Holding back a yawn, he knocked once and waited, hearing a feminine voice shout "One minute". After about 40 seconds, the door opened to reveal Roll with a comb in her hand, evidently having just finished brushing her sheet of blond hair. A smile immediately graced her face as she exclaimed "Mega! What brings you here?"

MegaMan smiled and replied "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. Can I come in?"

Roll gave a curious frown, wondering what was so important that he needed to come knock on her door on a Saturday morning. MegaMan's smile tugged towards a frown, afraid that this was a bad time. _Maybe I should have e-mailed instead…_

She saw his frown, realizing her mistake. _Nice work Roll; now he thinks you don't want to talk to him…_ Silently kicking herself for giving MegaMan the wrong idea, Roll smiled and opened the door fully. "Sure thing; come on in; you're always welcome." MegaMan's grateful smile came back as he followed her inside to what was evidently a pink room filled with teenage girl paraphernalia. She sat down on the bed in the center of the room, placing her comb on the counter next to it. "So, what's on your mind? I thought you'd wanna sleep in, it being a weekend and all."

MegaMan smiled and quipped "I would have, but the one day Lan chose to leave for school early was today. All the commotion woke me up and I couldn't get back to bed after having the PET shaken around like that, so I decided to pop over here."

Roll giggled into her palm, thinking about all the times that Lan woke up late for class, and forcing Maylu to cover for him. _Oh, the irony. What my NetOp sees in that boy, I'll never know_ … She then looked up at the Blue Bomber and saw just how tired he was; the rims around his eyes looked worn out, and she could sense that he was exhaling air out of his nose to avoid yawning in front of her.

Before she could say any more, he switched topics on her. "Anyways, I wanted to say that you did a good job yesterday, scanning for those passcodes. We never would have stopped Higsby and Numberman without you."

Roll blushed, not feeling worthy of praise from her idol Navi. "Th…thanks, Mega. But it was a team effort; I never would have found them if you hadn't kept the viruses at bay."

"And Numberman wouldn't have sent those viruses if you weren't able to find those codes. And you helped save Glyde from those last dice, so you deserve at least as much credit as me." MegaMan smiled, the faintest shade of rose coloring the smallest of spots on his cheeks.

Roll on the other hand blushed full red, her hand absent-mindedly reaching to the head ribbons on her helmet. It was a habit she developed when she was nervous or embarrassed. Right now she felt both, but couldn't tell which one was more dominant. "Th…thank you Mega. That means a lot, coming from you."

MegaMan simply smiled and replied "That's what friends are for."

Roll smiled, then looked up to see MegaMan yawning, unable to hold back his fatigue any longer. _Poor thing; no rest for the weary even on a Saturday…_ Standing up, she gestured to the bed that she had previously been sitting on and tried to order "Mega, go to sleep".

The Blue Bomber stared in shock, surprised at Roll's uncharacteristic bluntness, and at the same time touched by her concern. Trying to be a gentleman, he tried "Roll, I'm fine. I can't go to sleep yet, and I don't feel tired."

Roll would have called him out on it, but she didn't have to; his yawn gave away his fib. Glaring at him, she stood her ground, retorting "You're so tired you're yawning at 9 AM. The bed's right over there and no one else is going to use it for the rest of the day. So go to sleep" She nearly yelled as the icons near her head ribbons briefly glowed.

MegaMan gulped nervously; he had heard about how dangerous Roll's Roll Blast was from GutsMan, and he was in no hurry to be on the receiving end; something he deemed was likely to happen if he stood his ground. He put up his hands in surrender and acquiesced "Alright Roll, you win." He walked over to the bed and plopped face-down, dreaming within a minute of coming into contact with the soft material.

 _Maybe I was a little harsh, but hey; it worked!_ Roll smiled at the young Navi on her bed, marveling at how adorable he looked while asleep. She gently removed his helmet from his head, watching as he briefly nuzzled his head into the pillow. Placing a hand over her emblem, she took the helmet to the nearby kitchen, grabbing a sponge as she began to wash it for him. _Might as well have a surprise for him when he wakes up…_ She thought to herself as she continued with her labor.

 _An hour later_

"Roll? You there?"

Roll's head rose up in surprise. _Oh no; I completely forgot about Maylu being awake!_ She set the blue helmet down and raced over to the adjacent empty room to pull up the viewing window with her NetOp. She forced a smile and stammered "Hey Maylu!"

Rubbing her eye, Maylu groggily asked "Why didn't you wake me up? I know it's Saturday, but I still have homework and stuff to do!"

"I thought you could use some rest after yesterday's excitement." Roll sweated, hoping that Maylu would buy the excuse.

For a moment, Maylu looked like she would sleepily walk down the stairs and get breakfast, allowing Roll time to smuggle MegaMan out of the PC before Maylu even noticed. However, Roll's hope was quickly dashed as she took notice of Roll's forced smile. "Alright, what's REALLY going on Roll? Those fake smiles might work on Lan and Dex, but not me."

"Wh…What are you talking about? Nothing's going on…Maylu DON'T" Roll yelled as her NetOp moved the viewing screen around until she saw the sight of the Blue Bomber snuggling with a pillow on the pink bed. A few seconds passed before she said emotionlessly "Roll? Why is Lan's NetNavi cuddling in a girl's bed? And your bed for that matter?"

Roll hurriedly explained "It's not what you think, Maylu. Mega came to thank me for my help with the NumberMan fiasco. He's lying there because he was so tired after Lan woke him up for school and I told him to take a nap."

"Then why didn't you take him back to his own PC? Everybody would still have been happy…" A thought came to the young girl, causing her to smile and make Roll nervous. "You like him, don't you Roll?"

Roll turned her head to the side and scoffed "I do not; I was just trying to be a good friend was all."

"Sure you were, Roll" Maylu replied in a voice that just screamed _I don't believe you._ Another thought occurred to Maylu, and she asked "Why was Lan trying to get to school early today? He usually sleeps in and comes late to class"

"He forgot today was Saturday." Roll replied, not turning her head out of embarrassment.

"I see. Well, I'm gonna eat breakfast and start my homework. Just be sure to get your boyfriend back to his own PC when he wakes up."

Before Roll could issue a retort, the viewing window closed, leaving Roll to her own thoughts. She sighed before going back to scrubbing MegaMan's helmet, putting the energy from her embarrassment to good use.


	3. Chapter Three: Melting the Ice

A/N: Well, here's the third chapter, based off of the6th episode of NT Warrior. But first, a couple of shoutouts to those who reviewed the past two chapters.

First, to iloveyugiohGX93; thank you for the grammar criticism. I hope that this chapter is better grammatically. Also, the reason I posted 2 chapters in one day was that I had those saved on my computer for about a week and decided to post them both. I anticipate that future chapters will be updated on a more gradual basis.

Next, to Ghost501; thank you for the praise. I'm doing my best to keep it as grammatically proficient as possible. If you see any grammatical patterns that I seem to be consistently getting incorrect, feel free to leave a comment. To answer your question before; I'm operating under the assumption that NetNavis can manipulate the data in their NetOp's PC to construct whatever living space they desire, within reason. These "virtual homes" can then be seen by the NetOp through their PET when connected to the PC.

Anyways, this A/N has probably gone on for long enough. Enjoy the chapter!

Edited: wrote a little bit of a prologue and changed what MegaMan was doing when Roll came in. Also, I added a couple sentences of what happened when MegaMan woke up after Roll left.

Chapter Three: Melting The Ice

"Zzz…" the blue NetNavi napped in the corner, opting to rest for once after his frigid encounter with IceMan. "Urrh…" MegaMan groaned, roused from his slumber as a frigid chill took hold in his chest. His hand clenched over his emblem, the cold feeling spreading to the rest of his suit. "Wh…what's going on?" MegaMan chattered as he wrapped his arms around himself in a vain attempt to keep himself warm. "It's almost like I'm being frozen all over again!"

He took his helmet off and threw it across the room into the corner, hoping the separation of the detached armor piece would make him warmer. When that failed, he grunted as he hastily removed his gloves, boots, and the pack that was on his back and threw them in the corner as well. Whilst it did make the cold more bearable, it did not make it go away, much to the Blue Bomber's frustration. With what little strength he had left, he stumbled over to the closet and opened the door, grabbing the blue blanket inside and wrapping it around himself. Whilst this provided some temporary relief, MegaMan could feel the cold intensifying in his processor. He rose to walk back to the bed, but fell to his knees halfway through, his shoulders shaking as he yelled "LAN!" But the young NetOp snoozed away on his own bed, and was completely deaf to the cries of his Navi. Tears streamed down his face as he thought _For once, I'm completely powerless, and nobody's coming to help me…_ He succumbed to the chilled feeling of despair as his shoulders shook from both the chills and sobs.

 _All done!_ Roll thought as she walked through the Net, absent-mindedly humming a tune. She had just finished running errands for Maylu. Today was a Saturday, and since Maylu didn't have any piano lessons, she decided to take a page from Lan's book and sleep in. With this in mind, Roll took her time and admired the sights of the Cybernet. _Oh, that looks pretty. That looks like a good quiet place. Oh, Mega might find that interesting…_ Several hours and many thoughts later, she had finished her errands that Maylu had left out the night before and leisurely walked home. Just as the entrance to Maylu's PC was in sight, she spontaneously shivered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders in a futile attempt to keep warm. _So cold…why is it so cold?_ She turned her head to see a frosty aura surrounding the door to her right. _That's the link to Lan's PC. But why is it…MEGAMAN!_ Her eyes widened in worry, and not even bothering to knock threw the door open, ignoring the icy feeling in her hand when it made contact with the doorknob. _What's going on that would cause Lan's PC to turn into the Iceworks?_ She shook her hand of the cold feeling as she scanned the room, looking for her blue companion.

What she saw made her jaw drop; MegaMan was kneeling on the floor; his gloves, boots, and helmet were on the floor and his blue blanket was hanging from his shoulders. The room was filled with the mixed sounds of his chattering teeth and his pitiful sobs. _What happened in here? He looks so sick and vulnerable._ She kneeled in front of him and held his shoulders, stopping them from shaking. "Mega? Can you hear me Mega? It's me, Roll!"

He looked up and saw her in the doorway. "R…Roll? Wh…what are you d…doing here?"

Roll shook her head and exclaimed "Forget about that. What on earth happened to you? You look like you just came back from Antarctica!"

Still shaking, the Blue Bomber replied "I…I dunno. I just woke up from a nap today and I started feeling like I spent yesterday in a freezer. And every once in a while I've been…"He didn't get to finish, due to his impending sneeze. "Ugh, sorry about that, Roll. I don't know what's wrong with me…" He looked down, embarrassed at his sickly appearance.

 _"_ _It's okay; you don't need to apologize for anything, Mega._ _"_ She grabbed a tissue from the spare data and started to wipe his nose, MegaMan watching her. She took note of the tears that had since dripped down his cheeks and pondered asking him about it. Looking at MegaMan's red cheeks however made her decide that the boy was embarrassed enough as it was without her pointing it out. However she did wipe the tear tracks off his cheeks, holding his head in place when he whimpered and tried to turn away. "Oh hush now; it's not that bad."

 _As she finished her task, she began to ponder something that MegaMan had said._ _Freezer…_ She instantly flashed back to the day before, when Tory's NetNavi IceMan had been forced to freeze him for an extended period of time when WackoMan held Tory's father captive. MegaMan had brushed it off as nothing, and Roll had easily forgiven IceMan due to the circumstances. _You did spend yesterday in a freezer. Mega…_ She wrapped an arm under his shoulder, pulling him up and supporting him as she guided him back towards the bed in the room, and sitting both of them down on it.

She removed her gloves as MegaMan continued to shiver. She placed a hand on his cheek, startling him into keeping still. _So…warm. Roll's…warm_. Too cold and desperate to feel embarrassed any longer, he leaned slightly into her bare hand, eager for more heat.

Roll smiled and moved her other hand to rub his back, happy that she could at least do something for her idol. "Does that make you feel better Mega?" She asked in an almost motherly voice.

"A…a little" MegaMan murmured. Though that didn't last long; the chills moved to further intensify his core, causing him to wrap his arms around his torso as he tried to make it go away. _Dear god; not again! Make it stop!_

"Mega!" Roll watched in concern as she saw that his chills intensified. She looked at his shivering form, then to her hands as a realization hit her. _There is a way I can make it stop. But…would he approve of it right now? Has our friendship developed enough for this yet?_ Her thought process was interrupted as she heard MegaMan's chattering teeth again and saw him vainly trying to rub his upper body to keep warm. _He's suffering so much, and this time he can't do anything to protect himself. I have to help him!_ Throwing caution to the wind, the pink Navi wrapped her arms around his shivering body, pulling him closer to her in a hug. Her hands glowed as she gradually transferred her warm energy to the shivering boy. "It's okay Mega; I'll stay right here until the chills are gone. There there, everything's gonna be okay now…"

And there they sat for the next half hour, Roll holding the young boy against her frame, whispering words of comfort and reassurance into his ear to distract him, while MegaMan inadvertently cuddling against the young girl. MegaMan gasped as his shivers went away and his teeth stopped chattering. Roll noticed as the grimace on his face disappeared and the room temperature warmed up. _Its…it's gone. Roll, you…thank you._ MegaMan smiled as gripped her tighter, too happy and grateful to be embarrassed. He continued to rest his head against her emblem, enjoying the warmth that radiated from her and not wanting to let go.

They stayed that way for a while, neither willing to break the tender moment. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, for just as MegaMan's eyelids were drooping, a faint beep from Roll's helmet startled them out of their reverie. "It's Maylu. I've gotta get back before she suspects something…" Roll remembered how she got chewed out by Maylu for letting MegaMan sleep in a "girl's bed". It was all innocent teasing of course, but it didn't make Roll any less nervous or embarrassed. _Not an experience I want to repeat…_ She cautiously let go of MegaMan, causing him to groan in a way that caused her to stifle a giggle. "Are you gonna be alright for today?"

Though the expression on his face showed that he didn't want her to leave yet, and Roll felt guilty at leaving him soon after he was cured, MegaMan simply nodded. He squeezed her one last time before letting go and lying back down on the mattress, dozing off in seconds with a smile on his face. Roll smiled and carefully adjusted his frame so that he lay under the blankets, with only his childlike face peeking out. She ran a hand through his blue hair and kissed his forehead. _Sweet dreams, Mega._ She took off, dashing back to Maylu's PC.

Maylu tapped her foot out of impatience, sighing with relief when Roll's image appeared on her PET. "What took you so long? I thought you were just running a few morning errands!"

Deeming the full truth too embarrassing to share, yet also not wanting to lie to her NetOp, Roll calmly replied "You were asleep and the net was calm, so I was just taking my time and enjoying the sights."

Sensing that there was something Roll wasn't telling her, Maylu got a mischievous grin on her face. Roll sweated nervously; anytime Maylu got one of those smiles, it usually meant bad things for the person, or in this case Navi, that it was aimed at. "You sure there wasn't another reason? Maybe something to do with your blue boyfriend?"

Roll blushed and pouted "He's not my boyfriend, and no." _Dear god, not again!_

"Then why is there a blue strand on your emblem?" Roll looked down and saw a thin blue line on her emblem. Silently cursing herself for not checking before she arrived, she quickly wiped it off. "And why are your gloves missing?"

 _Drat, I knew I forgot something. I'll have to pick them up on Monday_. All the while, Roll was blushing the hardest that she had ever blushed.

"Busted, Roll. Now spill, what happened between you and blue boy?" Shyly, Roll revealed the faintest detail about the aftereffects of IceMan's freeze. Maylu simply smiled and said "Well, one thing's for sure. Glyde may have a virtual hot tub, but it has nothing on your TLC." Roll looked away in embarrassment as Maylu laughed at her innocent teasing. "Well, I'm gonna practice the Piano downstairs."

And with that, Roll was left to her own thoughts. _That's it; I'm saving up for a cloning battle chip…_

 _Later that Day_

MegaMan's eyes fluttered open as he sat up and looked around. Roll? His eyes widened as he thought back to how Roll helped him earlier. "What happened? Was that a dream?" He got his answer when he looked in the corner and saw a pair of pink gloves on top of his armor pieces. He stood up and walked over to the pile, picking up the gloves. It can't have been a dream. But that means…that really happened. He shook his head as he began to blush, thoughts of Roll caring for him and nursing him back to health entering his mind. "What's happening to me? Never mind; I gotta get these back to Roll."

He pulled up an e-mail window and attached the gloves as an attachment file to it, still too embarrassed to deliver them in person. He sent it to Roll after writing

"Thanks for what you did. I'm glad you're my friend. I promise to repay you somehow. Thought you'd like these back in the meantime.

-Mega"

MegaMan smiled as he closed the window and opened up the viewing screen, revealing Lan still sprawled out on the bed, snoozing the morning away. Well, time to get my lazy operator out of bed!


	4. Chapter Four: Apologies

A/N: Sorry for the wait; I wanted to be sure I got this one right. This one is based off of Episode 8 of the NT Warrior Anime. Before we begin, to answer Guest's Review of the previous chapter, the reason Roll wanted a cloning battle chip would be to make a copy of herself so that she could be in both Maylu's PC and talking with MegaMan at the same time, thus avoiding having to explain her whereabouts to Maylu and having to endure her teasing. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Edited: edits were smaller and more miniscule this time. Nothing that really changed the plot at all.

Chapter Four: Apologies

"Arguing is healthy; that means it's a close relationship…"Roll advised as her blue counterpart expressed exasperation at their NetOps' renewed argument.

To Roll's surprise, their argument did not dissipate; the young NetOps simply chose to carry their argument out of the arcade and onto the street as they made the trek home. The other townsfolk who normally wouldn't bat an eye at the sight of the two walking together found themselves staring at the arguments and insults the two flung at each other.

"Stubborn uncaring jerk!"

"Overemotional ungrateful crybaby!"

Roll turned to see MegaMan enter the confines of her PET, an exasperated and worried expression on his face. Before Roll could ask him what was wrong, he simply said "They're still at it."

"They're STILL at it?" Roll blurted incredulously?

"Yep. They've been engaged in that same "healthy arguing" for the last half hour." MegaMan gave an exasperated sigh. _So much for arguing being healthy…_ the Blue Bomber thought to himself as the events of the last 24 hours ran through his head. Maylu getting mad at Lan for laughing at her, Roll getting mad at MegaMan for an ill-thought out remark, Roll trying to take on TorchMan by herself, their subsequent teamwork defeating TorchMan, the two Navis reconciling, and Lan inadvertently offending Maylu again.

Roll had a concerned expression on her face. "Maybe we should try talking to our NetOps; this is going past healthy arguments." MegaMan nodded and turned to go, until he felt Roll grab his hand. He looked up and turned his gaze to see Roll shyly smiling at him. She leaned closer and whispered "Meet me outside of my webpage after Lan falls asleep, ok? I wanna talk to you for a little bit."

 _Talk to me about what?_ MegaMan pondered as his cheeks gave a faint tint of blush. Deciding that he'd find out later, MegaMan smiled and said "Sure." Reluctantly, Roll let go of his hand and watched him go. Following suit, she retreated back to the inner processes of her PET. Still arguing, Lan and Maylu separated and went into their own homes, ceasing their yelling only when the doors were shut.

"APOLOGIZE? MegaMan, why should I apologize to Maylu?" Lan practically shouted at his Navi. _This isn't even my fault! I didn't even make fun of her this time!_

MegaMan sighed. _This is gonna be tougher than I thought. Maybe we should have taken each other's NetOps instead…_ Taking a deep breath, he explained "Two reasons, Lan; One of which being that you never actually apologized for making fun of her in class today. Two: whether intentionally or not, you insinuated that her friendship wasn't important to you."

"She put me on the spot! It's not my fault I didn't know what to say!"

"Then you need to tell her that, calmly" MegaMan counseled. _I hope Roll's having better luck than I am…_ Shaking away his thoughts, the Blue Bomber continued "But you can't just go on not talking to each other. And the sooner you and Maylu swallow your pride and apologize to each other, the easier it will be. Need I bring up what happened between me and Roll?"

"Alright, fine. I'll go apologize tomorrow" Lan conceded. Now that he was somewhat calm, he realized that MegaMan was making a lot of sense.

MegaMan smiled. "Good idea. Now, why don't you head to bed; maybe you can wake up earlier and think about what to say to Maylu."

For the first time that day, Lan gave a genuine smile. "Maybe…though the waking up early isn't likely to happen" he quipped, causing MegaMan to laugh softly.

As Lan went to change for bed, MegaMan left the PET to walk down to Maylu's PC.

"What do you mean I should apologize to Lan for yelling at him? He deserved it for what he did twice in one day!"

Roll took a deep breath and chose her next words carefully. _The two of them are more alike than they know…_ "Maylu, I know it wasn't right of him to laugh at you, but is yelling and arguing really being the better person?"

"It's not just that Roll; just when I thought that he could be mature, he goes and implies that I'm not worth his friendship! I mean, who does that?"

Roll sighed and thought _so much for choosing my words carefully…_ Trying a different approach, Roll reasoned "Maylu, try and look at it from his perspective; you kind of put him on the spot, not to mention that he's a 10 year old boy. Boys as a general rule tend to say the wrong things in social contexts."

Maylu said nothing in response. Hoping this meant Maylu was at least listening to her, Roll continued "Besides, MegaMan and I had a similar spat, and once the tensions had died down, we swallowed our pride and apologized to each other for how we acted. You and Lan both need to apologize to each other, or else you risk being mad at each other every day. Do you really want that?"

Maylu's glare softened at Roll's wisdom. "Oh alright Roll; if you and MegaMan can make up, I suppose I can make up with Lan tomorrow."

Roll smiled and thought _That's better. Hopefully Mega was able to get through to Lan…_

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "That must be Mega. I'm going out for a bit. Is that alright with you?"

Maylu smiled, contemplating whether or not to tease her Navi. _Nah; I think we've all been through enough for one day…_ "You have fun. I'll probably be asleep by the time you get back though."

Internally sighing in relief, Roll turned around and walked towards the door, opening it with a gloved hand to reveal the Blue Bomber on the other side.

MegaMan wore a nervous smile, trying to stay on Roll's good side. "Hey Roll! What did you want to talk about?"

Roll took note of his nervousness as he spoke. _He seems a little more nervous than usual. I wonder what's up…_ Shaking her head for a moment, she stepped out just enough so that they were parallel with each other. Turning her head to face him, she placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to blush slightly, and replied "Let's go for a walk. I think we could both use the relaxation…"

MegaMan stared at Roll for a moment as she walked forward, not quite sure what was going on, before deciding to just go with it and ran after her.

They continued like that for some time, walking shoulder-to-shoulder, their fingers brushing against each other every so often. At one point during their walk, Roll had opted to remove her helmet, letting her golden blond hair out of its prison and revealing a style similar to Maylu's. MegaMan couldn't help but stare at her, his cheeks giving off a faint red aura. After making the helmet disappear, Roll stopped in her tracks, a somewhat forlorn expression in her eyes. MegaMan stopped in his tracks, shaken by her complete stop and feeling guilt at the sight of her sad face. "Roll, are you alright? What's wrong?" _Great work Mega; you made her feel sad. Whatever you did, fix it!_

Noticing his guilty expression, Roll quickly shook her head. "It's nothing you did, Mega. So quit with the guilty green eyes, ok? I just…" Roll started to play with her ponytail, struggling to get the words out of her mouth.

MegaMan gaped at how she had so easily read him. _How did she know what I was thinking so easily?_ Deciding to crack that mystery another time, he gently touched the hand that was grasping her ponytail. "Then, what is it Roll? Why are you upset?"

Taking off her gloves and making them disappear as well, Roll surprised her blue counterpart by grasping both of his hands in her own and lifting them up until they were level with their emblems. MegaMan blushed while Roll continued "It's just…I need to apologize for what happened today. I…" _Darn it, why is this so hard?_

"Roll, you already apologized after the battle, and what happened was my fault too…" the Blue Bomber tried to soothe, his heart hurting at seeing his friend like this.

But his attempt at trying to get the subject dropped was met with a shake of Roll's head as she continued "No Mega, I just started throwing accusation after accusation at you without giving you a chance to respond, all because I took a comment the wrong way!" Roll looked at the ground, embarrassed and ashamed at her past behavior. With a struggle, she refocused her gaze at MegaMan and continued "And because I was so angry, I tried to take on TorchMan by myself to prove I wasn't useless. Not only did I prove I was useless, but I almost got you deleted today."

At this point, tears were starting to fill Roll's eyes, making MegaMan's heart break. "Roll…it's not your fault…"

Before he could get another word, Roll finished "Yes it is. And I…I would have never forgiven myself if my stubbornness and got you deleted!"

At this point, Roll was full-on crying, tears cascading down her face and onto MegaMan's boots. After removing his gloves and making them disappear, he stepped forward, removing his hands from Roll's grasp and wrapping them around her waist, hugging her in an attempt to make her tears go away. Cradling her head in his hand against his emblem and hearing the pink Navi murmur "I'm sorry" over and over against his chest, MegaMan used his other hand to rub her back until she stopped crying. Moving his hand from her back to her ponytail, he stroked his hand through her hair, asking "Roll?"

He received a grunt for an answer, along with Roll nuzzling her head against his emblem. MegaMan took a deep breath, determined to get this pep talk right, before continuing "You can't blame yourself. I should have thought out what I said before saying it. I guess that's one of Lan's traits that rubbed off on me" he joked, receiving a giggle from the pink Navi in his arms.

 _Finally we're getting somewhere!_ He continued "And like you said, us arguing from time to time means we have a really strong friendship, that we care about each other. And honestly, I wouldn't change today even if I could. Do you know why?" After feeling Roll shake her head against his emblem, he continued "Because without our argument and the battle we had today, we're closer than before. And I wouldn't give that up for anything."

Tears streamed down Roll's face, but unlike the tears she shed during her apology, these were tears of happiness. "Mega…" she murmured as she squeezed him tighter, her green pupils glistening.

MagaMan smiled and released her just enough so that their eyes were gazing at each other. "It's late, and I think we're both drained. How about I walk you home?"

Roll smiled at his offer and wiped her eyes, replying softly "I'd like that…"

MegaMan then grabbed her bare hand with his own, causing Roll to blush, and led them back to Maylu's PC.

When they arrived the two Navis turned to face each other. "So…" MegaMan started. "Are we cool?"

Roll smiled at him as she replied "Of course we are." She reluctantly let go as she opened the door and walked halfway through. She turned to smile at him. "See you tomorrow, Mega." She caught a glimpse of his boyish smile before closing the door behind her and slumping against the wall, nodding off with a smile on her face.


	5. Chapter Five: Damaged Pride

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter,, based off the 9th episode of NT Warrior. But first, the review response. To Zanzar, I'm kind of playing this by ear, trying to see what moments in the anime I can work off of to create any touching moments between MegaMan and Roll. As such, I don't have a set schedule; when the chapter comes, it comes. I don't intend to change the rating unless a potential scenario warranted the change. Anyways, review response over, so enjoy everybody!

Edited: just minor edits

Chapter Five: Damaged Pride

Roll was worried. Toying with her head ribbons, her thoughts wandered to the Blue Bomber, who yesterday had fought Yahoot's MagicMan, and to her shock and fear was almost deleted by the annoying rhyming Navi. Only ProtoMan's intervention saved MegaMan, much to Roll's relief. The danger having passed and everything having returned to normal, she expected MegaMan to shrug it off and be his confident jubilant self the next day. Except, that wasn't quite what happened…

 _Earlier that day_

Class had started, Lan was late as usual and burying his head into his book in an attempt to appear like he was following along. Everyone's PETs were currently plugged into the school system, allowing the navis to socialize while their NetOps were learning. Putting a smile on her face as soon as the Blue Bomber came into view, she nonchalantly walked over and called "Hey Mega! How's it rolling?"

But MegaMan seemed to space out, barely acknowledging her with a faint "Hey Roll…" before walking over to the edge of the platform, sitting down with his legs hanging over the edge, and staring out into the vast cyberworld.

 _He…he barely even acknowledged me. I'm his best friend, and he barely said hi to me._ Feeling somewhat hurt, and growing more concerned by the second, she started to walk over to him, before feeling a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see the familiar tall form of Yai's Navi Glyde. "Glyde? What's up; I thought you'd be over with GutsMan and IceMan."

As it turned out, the group of Navis had started their own routine; after saying hi to each other and sharing any important news that the group needed to know, they tended to separate into two subgroups during the remainder of the school day. MegaMan and Roll would go to the edge of the platform to make small talk, whilst GutsMan, IceMan, and Glyde would stay in the center and chat.

It was a routine that everybody had gotten used to by now, and to see MegaMan of all Navis deviate from it concerned not only Roll, but Glyde as well. Though unlike Roll, his worries were not written on his sleeve.

Instead, Glyde gave his standard polite smile and explained "Right now they're gossiping about what animals their NetOps were hypnotized as during Yahoot's spell, and Miss Yai has specifically forbade me from discussion on that topic." Roll giggled for a moment before resuming her somewhat concerned face. Glyde's smile dropped and he continued "But I imagine you have something more pressing on your mind than gossip. Perhaps something to do with our distant friend over there…"

He trailed off, both of their gazes realigning towards the blue navi sitting by himself. Roll opened her mouth, but Glyde interrupted "When you're assigned to a billionaire eight year old, you learn to anticipate people's thoughts before they voice them." Roll giggled before Glyde continued "I must admit, this deviation from his routine programming is worrisome to me as well…"

The pink Navi looked at her feet and said somberly "I just don't get it, Glyde. He's always been so…so peppy and confident before. It's just so…strange to see him isolate himself like this. I…I miss him…" She imagined the MegaMan who rescued her from TorchMan twice, always showing either a smirk of confidence or a boyish and cheery grin. Her head turned to the side to see only a somewhat depressed and mostly neutral expression. _This is even worse than when he got the chills. At least then he would talk to me._

"Miss Roll, while I am by no means a mind reader, this would be my guess; MegaMan has been on quite a winning streak during his duels against World Three. To have that streak put to a halt by MagicMan, and then be rescued by Chaud's Protoman, a Navi who easily crushed MagicMan, I think it wounded his pride."

Roll closed her eyes, deep in thought at Glyde's words. _It does make sense…we've all thought of MegaMan as nearly invincible._ Memories of MegaMan defeating TorchMan, WackoMan, and ElecMan ran through her mind. With pain, she recalled his near-deletion at TorchMan's Fire-Arms. _That time it was all my fault._ "But Glyde…" Roll spoke up, and continued "If that's true, then what can I do about it?"

Glyde smiled, touched at the pink navi's dedication to MegaMan's wellbeing. "I think we just need to give him time. Some people solve their problems best when they do it on their own; I think MegaMan is one of them."

 _That's NOT helpful! It still means I can't do anything…_ Roll pouted, puffing out her cheeks in displeasure with Glyde's answer. Glyde laughed, much to Roll's annoyance. _How is this funny?_

Though Glyde found Roll's puts comical, he was sure to keep his voice down so as to make sure the Blue Bomber couldn't hear their conversation. "I know that it's hard being on the sidelines and sitting still, but trust me on this."

Roll kept her cheeks puffed, but reluctantly nodded, turning away from Glyde and walking aimlessly around the platform. The conversation effectively cut off, Glyde sighed and jacked out, opting to review Yai's schedule as his friends were left to their own devices.

 _End Flashback_

Toying with her head ribbons, Roll walked back and forth, trying in vain to be patient with her blue friend and let him be. Roll yanked on her ribbons in frustration, trying to calm herself down. _That's it! I can't take waiting around anymore._ She looked towards the door, throwing all thoughts of patience out the window. _That's it Mega; if you won't come out, I'm coming in!_

Roll stood up, and walked from Maylu's PC over to the entrance of Lan's PC, her normally graceful and quiet footsteps creating miniature earthquakes as she stomped along the cyberroad. The familiar blue door with MegaMan's symbol stood before her currently closed. Under normal circumstances, she would have politely knocked and waited for MegaMan to open it for her, as he always did. However, having lost her patience she clenched her fists and built up energy in her head ribbons. "ROLL BLAST!" The pink navi yelled, her head ribbons knocking the door off its hinges.

 _What was that?_ Getting off of the couch he was currently sitting on, MegaMan stood to see who was breaking into his NetOp's PC, and when he saw Roll at the entrance, his jaw dropped. Here was his best friend, the calm collected and sweet natured Roll, knocking his door down by force and wearing one of the angriest expressions he had seen. "Roll? What are you doing here? Why did you knock down my door?" _I haven't ever seen Roll this upset, not even during our misunderstanding._

Seeing how confused he was, Roll took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down; MegaMan sighed with relief as the worst of Roll's anger passed. She walked closer to him, grabbing one of his hands. "Mega, you haven't talked to any of us since yesterday. You've been so distant since the MagicMan incident, and we're worried about you. I'M worried about you…" she emphasized, trying to get him to open up.

MegaMan said nothing, but glanced in her direction. _What's going on; why won't you talk to me Mega?_ Getting frustrated at the lack of progress, Roll grabbed his other hand. She raised their intertwined hands until they were at eye level before blurting out "Don't you trust me?"

THAT got MegaMan's attention; he turned sharply in her direction and yelled "OF COURSE I trust you. I trust you with my life, Roll!"

He couldn't help but feel a little hurt at her insinuation, his green eyes looking downwards. Roll started to regret what she said, realizing that it was a low blow. Ultimately though, she decided to roll with it, continuing in a softer tone "Then why won't you talk to me? I'm your friend, Mega, and you can talk to me about anything."

 _I…I just thought you wouldn't understand, Roll. Forgive me, Roll; I've been a terrible friend._ MegaMan's eyes looked downwards, his eyes pooling tears of remorse and guilt for acting like an idiot.

He stepped forward, and to Roll's surprise, hugged her, burying his face against her emblem. "MEGA" she gasped, surprised at his sudden one-eighty. _First he ignores me, now he can't let go of me. Well, at least he's talking to me now,,,_

Before she could say anything else, she felt her companion's tears silently trickle down his cheeks and onto her battle suit. _Mega's crying?_

Had she not been paying attention, she would have missed his muffled murmur "I'm sorry, Roll. I really am sorry."

Roll said nothing, letting the Blue Bomber hold her. She flashed back to Glyde's words about giving MegaMan time. _I think I know what you really meant, Glyde. You weren't talking about not trying to help MegaMan out; you were talking about encouraging him to answer on his own._ Roll smiled, wrapping her arms around the blue navi and rubbing his back, noting that his familiar blue pack was currently detached. "Shh, it's okay. You're talking to me now, and that's all that matters."

His silent tears finally stopped, and he tilted his head just enough so that he was looking into her eyes. Roll smiled, trying to impart some level of comfort to her blue friend. "Are you ready to tell me now?" Roll gently asked, trying not to sound demanding. MegaMan nodded against her chest and felt his friend walk them both to the couch he was sitting on, letting her sit them both down and feeling her hand guide his head so that it was leaning on her shoulder. "So, what's going on?" Roll asked as she removed his helmet, tossing it to the side of the room where it disappeared into data bits.

MegaMan wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and tried collect his thoughts. "Honestly Roll, I've been a little…unsure of myself after the MagicMan incident. You see…this was the first time I was completely outmatched by World Three. I mean sure, I've had help before, like WoodMan and you, but this was the first time that I needed to be saved. And when ProtoMan saved my hide by beating MagicMan with one attack, it made me realize that there are Navis out there that are in a whole different league. And with Lan getting excited for the N1 GP, I don't want to let him down." He looked at her as he continued "And you and the others have a lot of faith in me; I don' want to let you down either."

Roll noted how MegaMan didn't refer to the group in that last sentence. "Mega…" Roll murmured hugging him, touched by his dedication to his NetOp. "You know that Lan would never be disappointed in you, right? We're all proud of you. And I know you'll find a way to beat MagicMan next time, as well as put Chaud and ProtoMan in their place."

MegaMan smiled, feeling the invisible pressure lifted from his shoulders. _How does she have so much confidence in me?_ Shaking his head, he gripped her tighter. "Thanks Roll."

Roll smiled, and then a light bulb went off in her head. She stood up, letting go of the Blue Bomber, exclaiming "You know what? Why don't I help you train? Since we're both entering the contest, it can only help both of us out."

 _Why didn't I think of that?_ MegaMan smiled; somehow tangoing with Roll appealed to him. "I'd like that. Does tomorrow at 5 sound like a good starting point?"

Roll giggled "It's a date. Just don't be late like your NetOp."

Pretending to be annoyed and hurt, MegaMan yelled "Hey, I'm the one who has to wake him up every morning. I think I can make a 5 o'clock session."

Giggling again, Roll replied "Alright then, be there. I'll see you later, Mega!" She walked out the door, leaving MegaMan to his own devices. A faint blush on her face, she smiled and started walking back to Maylu's PC, looking forward to her training session with MegaMan.


	6. Chapter Six: Burns and Clowns

A/N: Edited: created a flashback to episode 13, and added more details and dialogue to the existing narrative.

Chapter Six: Burns and Clowns

"Heh, heh…" MegaMan panted as he appeared in his PET. _That was a close one. If the others hadn't come through…_ MegaMan shook his head in an attempt to dispel the dark thoughts entering his mind. _Now's not the time to be thinking about my possible deletion. We still have the rest of this tournament to deal with, and this won't be World Three's last interference in the Grand Prix._ _He wiped his brow, sweating not just from the extreme heat, but from worry about Lan's health._

 _Earlier that day_

 _He was burned everywhere; singe marks adorned his battle suit, with each one causing the Blue Bomber's muscles to scream out in agony._ _This is even worse than when I took a Fire Tower for Roll…_ _He could barely keep himself conscious, but he did for Lan. A small viewing window in his visor showed Lan in almost worse shape than he was. Passed out on the battle platform, Lan was powerless to help his Navi._

 _I knew I shouldn't have let him battle in that heat. I should have told him to jack me out and leave; now Lan could wind up in the hospital because World Three had a bone to pick with me._ _Forcing himself to speak, MegaMan yelled "Lan, the viruses have been wiped out! We still have a chance!"_

 _Maylu yelled out tearful words of encouragement, while Roll clasped her hands together and giving some silent encouragement of her own. And it worked; slowly but surely, Lan rose, gathering all of his strength to download three MiniBoomer chips, stopping TorchMan's Fire Towers just in time._

 _Tension filled the air as the explosions left everyone unsure of the young Navi's fate. Roll held in the urge to cry, having faith that her friend would come out on top. And when the smoke cleared and MegaMan rose to his feet, Roll grinned in relief, watching as the two Navis took one last run at each other._

 _Time for you to pay for what you did to Lan, Match. Nobody nearly kills my NetOp and gets away with it!_ _He drew a Wide Sword and charged at TorchMan for one last strike, putting all his rage into his slash._

 _End Flashback_

 _MegaMan had never been so happy to harm one of World Three's Navis. He clenched his fist as he reformed inside of Lan's PET._ _I told you not to come back, TorchMan. Maybe this time that lesson will stick._

His thought process was halted by Lan's concerned voice. "Are you feeling okay MegaMan?"

 _The boy nearly dies in a NetBattle and the first thing he asks is if I'M okay._ MegaMan gave a pained smile and replied "Yeah, just a little tired is all. I think we should get YOU checked out though. You almost died back there…"

Lan frowned; he knew his Navi was just trying to not make him worry, and that MegaMan was trying to shift the blame onto himself for what happened. Attempting to distract MegaMan from his self-berating thoughts, he gently suggested "Why don't you go hang out with the other Navis? I'm sure Roll would be happy to see you."

The thought of seeing Roll after an arduous battle sounded very appealing to the Blue Bomber. "Good idea; I'll catch you at home later Lan. Let mom check you out, and try not to get into trouble while I'm gone."

With that, he vanished, leaving behind a sheet of pixels that soon dissipated before Lan could get in a retort. "I'm not THAT much of a troublemaker. And I don't need to be checked out!"

Lan huffed and despite complaining about MegaMan's remarks, walked away to go home; resting in bed seemed like a pretty good idea at the moment. Meanwhile, MegaMan reformed in the communal hub that the other tournament Navis socialized in. He wearily looked around, trying to spot his group of friends. At last he spotted GutsMan, IceMan, and Glyde chatting near the SubChip vendor. _Now where's Roll?_

He didn't have long to wait though; suddenly he was tackled in the side by a pink blur which gave the familiar exclamation "MEGA! I'm so glad you're alright!"

 _Yep, that's Roll._ Cringing slightly from the surprise hug, MegaMan gave a genuine smile and returned the embrace before speaking "Hey Roll; how was your match with WackoMan?"

The pink Navi flashed him a smile and replied "That clown never stood a chance!"

It was then that Glyde and IceMan walked over, with Glyde interjecting "Miss Roll gave quite the battle. With Miss Yai's battle chips that clown never knew what hit him!"

 _Good; I don't think I could handle two of my friends being seriously hurt by World Three in the same day._ He murmured "I knew you could do it Roll." Before he could issue any more compliments towards his pink friend, the adrenaline from the battle faded,suddenly making him fully aware of just how much those burns hurt.

Roll smirked briefly before hearing MegaMan's pained groan. "Mega, are you alright?" She looked down to see his stomach somewhat charred. "Mega, was this from your battle with TorchMan?" MegaMan weakly nodded and sat down, leaving Roll with a worried expression. Though she had only seen the last half of the battle, she saw enough to know how close he came to being deleted. Tears starting to pool in her green eyes, she yelled "Glyde! IceMan!"

"Roll…" MegaMan struggled to speak, but the last thing he wanted was for Roll to fuss over his well-being. "I'm fi…fiii"

"NO!" She yelled, tired of her blue friend always trying to shoulder everything for them. That shut MegaMan up; though it was by no means the first time she had gotten annoyed with him, it was the first time she had yelled at him. And hearing the pained grief in her voice only made MegaMan more guilty.

Roll noticed the slight change of expression on his face, and took a deep breath. _Stay calm, Roll. You have to stay calm; yelling is only gonna make the boy feel worse._ "Mega, you are not fine. You're burned from head to toe. You're in no condition to even walk." She paused as a thought came to her. "You know, you and Lan are more alike than you know…"

Despite the sheer pain he was in, MegaMan couldn't help but chuckle at both the image in his head, and just how right she was. Turning her attention back to the Navis behind her, she said "Glyde, get me a cloth. IceMan, freeze it so I can treat his burns."

Nodding, Glyde got a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to the small Eskimo Navi, who blew on the cloth and froze it. He then handed it to Roll who glanced gratefully before returning her attention to the Blue Bomber. Placing it gently against his stomach wound, she smiled as MegaMan gave a sigh of relief. Sensing their help was no longer needed, Glyde and IceMan jacked out to give the two some measure of privacy.

Focusing on the Navi in front of her, she hummed, tapping into her healing powers as a pink glow covered her hand and the ice cloth currently on MegaMan's stomach. MegaMan stared in amazement as the burn mark slowly but surely began to recede, until nothing was left. At the same time, he felt his eyes beginning to droop, feeling lulled by the "song" Roll was humming.

Before he could completely fall asleep though, Roll ceased humming; the glow dissipated from her hand. _There; he still has some smaller burns, but he's through the worst of it. Now he should be able to get home without cringing every few steps._ Removing her hand from MegaMan, she dropped the cloth on the floor, and stared into his amazed green eyes with her own caring ones. A few moments of silence passed, before he leaned into her, surprising Roll and causing her to wrap her arms around him to support him. _He must be really tired…_

Before she could think any more, MegaMan, barely awake, murmured "Thanks. Guess I owe you one."

Roll giggled, a faint blush appearing on her face, flashing back to when he said the same thing after their Tag-Battle with TorchMan. _Déjà vu, Mega…_ Shaking her head, she responded sweetly "I'm your friend, Mega; you don't owe me anything. Besides, you've helped me and Maylu out plenty of times before, so it's only fair that I help you out when I can."

She smiled sweetly at him, tightening her grip on him. The Blue Bomber returned her embrace, smiling until he felt her flinch against him. "Roll, are you okay? Your back…" _Great work Mega, you hurt her… he admonished himself._

Seeing his guilty expression, she quickly interjected "It's not your fault, Mega. WackoMan had a couple duplicates roll over me during our match, but it's nothing major. My back's just a little sore is all." She smiled at him in an attempt to keep him from worrying. _It might be a pain, but you still need to rest, Mega. My healing abilities can only do so much…_

Unbeknownst to the pink Navi, MegaMan raised one of his hands and as lightly as a feather rubbed her back. "Oh! Mega!" Roll gasped in surprise, feeling the soreness dull as his touch replaced the pain with a sense of comfort. "Mega, don't strain yourself for my sake. I'm perfectly fine, and you still need to rest!"

Although still weak and somewhat drowsy, MegaMan ignored her and murmured "I'm not a healer; I can't heal your wounds when those World Three clowns hurt you. But this much I can do." It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake, but he would try.

Roll heard the frustration, guilt, and venom in his voice when he said "clowns". It both touched her that he cared so much about her well-being, and frightened her that the normally sweet Navi was capable of harboring such anger. _Mega, you don't need to feel so guilty and upset about this…_ She moved her right hand behind her to grasp the one touching her back, causing him to gasp and look up at her. She moved their intertwined hands so that they were in front of them, all whilst supporting his balance by keeping her left arm wrapped securely around him. She smiled at him, squeezing his hand and suggesting "It's been a long day; you're tired and you need to rest. Don't worry about World Three or ProtoMan or any of that right now. Just rest, Mega; you've earned it."

Too tired to argue or put on a strong face, MegaMan leaned against her emblem, closing his eyes and nodding off. Without a word, she willed the both of them into Maylu's PET. After reforming, she sat down on the floor, all the while holding her blue companion in her arms. She looked down, smiling at how adorable the young Navi in her arms looked. She reached for the latch on his helmet, undoing it and letting the headgear fall, freeing his spiky blue hair. Roll looked down to see MegaMan nuzzling his head against her emblem, occasionally murmuring "Roll. Roll.".

 _Is he dreaming? About me?_ She pondered this for a minute, but opted not to overthink it, and just enjoy her moment with MegaMan.

She looked back at him when he murmured sleepily "Don't go…Roll…"

She pulled him closer, whispering in his ear "I'm not leaving you Mega. Not now, not ever. I'll always be here to catch you when you fall." She blushed as she said that; if he was awake there was no way that she could tell him that. But since he was dreaming, it gave her the courage to at least make his dreams more pleasant.

After taking her helmet off, she alternated between running her hands through his hair and caressing his cheek, causing the young boy to smile whilst letting the rhythmic notion lull her to sleep as well. She laid her head on top of MegaMan's, the worries of the world seeming to disappear for this moment. _I may not know if I'm in his dreams, but he's definitely in mine._ _She smiled as well, letting her subconscious take her on a ride through her fantasies._


	7. Chapter Seven: Overtraining

A/N: Edited: changed the time span between the battle and the main dialogue, and expanded on Maylu's pep talk.

Chapter Seven: Overtraining

"CyberSword! WideSword! LongSword! Beta Sword!" Practice had long since ended, and Lan was out like a light, but MegaMan was still training. Though he couldn't practice with the actual battle chips by himself, he could still practice the physical movements and mental concentration. _I've got to perfect the Program Advance!_ He continued to repeat the commands in a never ending cycle as his thoughts wandered to the events of the past couple of days.

Though happy at slicing MagicMan in half with the Program Advance, his pride was short-lived; Chaud wasted no time at all in declaring that their attack wasn't the Program Advance, then demonstrated the fully-powered Program Advance against ElecMan, leaving MegaMan in awe of the full extent of its power. _And what's worse, GutsMan and WoodMan were annihilated by StoneMan and BlasterMan. If I don't perfect the Program Advance, then World Three will win the N1 Grand Prix, and who knows what'll happen if they succeed!_

Despite his arms feeling like lead from the nonstop movement, MegaMan pushed through, determination burning in his eyes. Turning around, he mimicked a Sword slash, but stopped halfway and staring at surprise at the pink Navi in front of him. He halted his imaginary strike, and lowered his hands to his side. "R…Roll. What are you doing here?" Normally she would greet him with a hug, but there was no such amorous greeting today.

MegaMan sweated out of nervousness, and for good reason; she had her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently and puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. _Oh no; it's Roll's angry face. I'd better be careful about what I say, lest we have a repeat of the TorchMan incident._ _His mind flashed back to their misunderstanding, and how their little feud had almost cost them their lives._

Far from the sweet voice she normally used with him, she kept her tone dangerously neutral, keeping the Blue Bomber on edge. It wasn't happy; that much was obvious. But it wasn't an angry voice either, and the thought of Roll being neither happy nor angry with him frightened the young Navi. "We need to talk MegaMan."

MegaMan couldn't help but feel afraid at Roll's new tone and demeanor. _She never calls me MegaMan when we're alone; I'm in a lot of trouble now…_ His face was sweating with nervousness, green eyes darting back and forth in fear of facing a Roll whose intentions were unknown.

Roll's glare softened, and she let the air out of her cheeks, but still kept her arms crossed over her chest. "MegaMan, you're becoming obsessed with perfecting this technique. You're becoming almost as serious as Chaud and ProtoMan, and whether you mean to or not, you're ignoring us."

"I…I haven't been…ignoring you guys." He weakly defended, but knew he wasn't fooling Roll, and part of him wondered if he was trying to fool himself. _I…I haven't been ignoring everyone, have I?_

"You weren't paying attention during my match with IceMan; you were practicing in your PET and you didn't even say one word of congratulations when I won!" She looked down with some slight shame; Roll felt low at using the guilt strategy on MegaMan, but she was desperate to get the carefree MegaMan back. Deep down, she knew it was the only way to get him out of this change of behavior, and that knowledge kept her will firm. Her mind wandered back to the other day, just after defeating IceMan…

 _Yesterday_

Roll was euphoric; after a hard-fought battle, she seemed to radiate with happiness. _Nothing could ruin this moment!_

She and IceMan walked in the communal hub until they came to their friends GutsMan and Glyde. "Roll, you rocked!" The giant navi complimented, causing Roll to grin.

"And IceMan was exceptional as well" Glyde commented in his usual style of speech.

Roll giggled shyly and replied "Thanks guys. So, what did you think MegaMan?" When no response came, she looked around in confusion. "Mega? MegaMan?" Yet no matter how long she looked or how often she repeated his name, the Blue Bomber was absent from their hangout. _Where is he? Did he have a surprise match or something?_

Her question was answered as the viewing window of her PET opened, revealing Maylu in a similar predicament, then looking at Lan who was seemingly in a trance, pretending to insert the CyberSword, WideSword, and LongSword chips in over and over. She then saw the monitor of MegaMan's PET, showing him in a similar trance, though he was performing the sword movements instead of inserting the Battle Chips. Except in Maylu's case, she was able to snap Lan out of his trance by yelling "YOU MISSED EVERYTHING!"

It took an extra moment for MegaMan to snap out of his trance, but he stopped once he witnessed Lan scream in shock and subsequently bow to Maylu in apology.

Closing the viewing window, Roll looked down, her eyebrows and head ribbons drooping in sadness and disappointment. GutsMan crossed his arms and commented "MegaMan bad at watching, Guts. MegaMan in trouble, Guts."

Giving GutsMan a slight glare, Glyde walked over to Roll and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to provide some comfort to the sad navi in front of him. "Come on, let's go watch GutsMan's tag-match with Miss Sal."

Roll said nothing, but jacked out into her PET. She appreciated Glyde's attempt to distract her, but ultimately didn't feel any better. _Why? Is perfecting the Program Advance so crucial that he can't even spare a few minutes to watch my match and congratulate me…_ A tear escaped her green eyes before she started full-on crying, feeling hurt at MegaMan's inattentiveness, though not before executing the mute function so Maylu couldn't hear her during the match.

 _The next evening_

"Roll? Are you okay?"

The sniffling Roll looked up to see Maylu looking at her. She wiped her eyes and wearily stood up, looking around her surroundings. Seeing the pink walls and furniture around her, she thought _Maylu must have jacked me in to the PC after the match._ "Yeah; I'm fine. How did Dex's match go?"

Maylu frowned and replied "He and Sal lost against StoneMan and BlasterMan. Those Navis…"

"What? What is it Maylu?" Temporarily forgetting about her irritation with MegaMan, she was intrigued about Dex and Sal's opponents.

"They operate themselves. And they're almost invincible; none of GutsMan or WoodMan's attacks had any impact at all." She paused at the memory before finishing "Lan and Commander Beef are facing them next."

Roll felt torn; she knew that these new Navis were going to be a problem and that they needed to be stopped, but she still felt irritated at MegaMan. "Are you sure you're okay Roll?"

Roll sighed, and confessed "MegaMan didn't watch my match yesterday. He was so engrossed in practicing the Program Advance, that he didn't even congratulate me when I won." Roll huffed and crossed her arms, turning to the side. "I'm a little irritated with him is all."

Maylu frowned in understanding; she remembered how she felt when Lan missed all the details of her match. "I understand how you feel Roll. But, did you try talking to him about it yet?"

"…No" Roll grumbled; she had a feeling where this was going, and she didn't want to talk to MegaMan right now. _Admittedly a little petty, but he deserves it!_

"I know it's hard to talk to someone when you're irritated with them. But Roll, remember when I was mad at Lan and you convinced me to make up with him anyways?"

Roll's eyes widened in realization as a feeling of déjà vu came over her. Except this time, the positions were reversed. Her glare softening, she lowered her arms and turned around to face her NetOp. "Alright Maylu; I'll go find him and talk to him."

Maylu smiled at her Navi, happy about her decision. "Good luck Roll. I'll see you tomorrow."

As the viewing window closed, she scanned the network for MegaMan's data signature, finding him in the practice arena's computer system. She took the link, transferring herself there in a millisecond. She saw him practicing a few feet in front of her, and walked forward until she was almost directly behind him.

 _End Flashback_

And so they stood, Roll slightly miffed at the Blue Bomber whilst MegaMan's eyes drooped in realization and shame after realizing that Roll was right and that he was getting too obsessed with perfecting the Program Advance. _What have I done?_

Roll sighed and removed her crossed arms from her chest, unraveling them and placing her hand on MegaMan's emblem. MegaMan gasped, blushing slightly from the direct contact. "Roll? What are you…"

"MegaMan, perfecting the Program Advance doesn't mean isolating yourself from everyone but Lan; we can all help you if you let us." Her hand glowed pink as his emblem glowed blue, the two resonating with each other. "MegaMan, let me into your heart, and show me what's wrong!"

She gasped as her vision showed her images of a miniature MagicMan, a ProtoMan with a shining red aura surrounding his frame, and a BlasterMan and StoneMan who towered over MegaMan like GodZillas. A second passed before she was dragged back to her own mind, removing her hand from MegaMan's emblem. She kneeled on one knee and gasped for breath as the journey into MegaMan's soul drained her.

"Roll! Are you alright!" Megaman kneeled and grabbed her shoulders, afraid of what that stunt she pulled did to her.

Roll looked up and smiled. "I'm fine, Mega; just a little drained is all." She lightly removed his hands from her shoulders as MegaMan smiled at the use of his nickname. "Now, what's troubling you?"

MegaMan blushed, realizing that she had already seen what he felt and was just waiting for him to verbalize it. "I…it's just that…" MegaMan searched for the right words to express what he needed to say, until he felt Roll squeeze his hand. He looked up to see her smile at him, silently encourage him to take his time. MegaMan took a deep breath, and revealed "I'm happy that I was finally able to beat MagicMan. I felt like I was on top of the world when I pulled it off." Roll smiled at him, remembering the childlike smile on his face, and remembering her own heart bursting with pride. "But then, seeing Chaud show off the full power of the Program Advance against ElecMan made me realize that I still have a long ways to go before I can match him."

"Mega, losing to ProtoMan isn't the end of the world. No matter what happens when you face ProtoMan, we won't think any less of you."

MegaMan smiled at Roll's attempt to cheer him up, even if her guess at what was troubling him was a tad off. "I appreciate that Roll, but that's not what I was worried about. I could handle a blow to my pride; at the end of the day it's just a game."

 _If only Chaud and ProtoMan could see it the same way…_ Roll thought dryly to herself. _Those two take this competition way too seriously…_

"But then, seeing World Three's BlasterMan and StoneMan navis completely obliterate GutsMan and WoodMan, made me realize that if they aren't stopped, then World Three could put more than just the fate of the tournament at stake. I don't know what they're after, but I can't shake the feeling that their success will have disastrous consequences."

MegaMan shivered for a moment, and after feeling Roll rub his shoulder in comfort continued "The only Navi who could be powerful enough to stop them right now is ProtoMan, and he and Chaud have made it pretty clear that they're only interested in being #1. Stopping them is going to take more power than I have, and as much power as I currently have it feels like I'm a little kid in comparison to them, and I may very well have the weight of the world on my shoulders if I can't beat them."

 _It makes sense now; the small MagicMan represents what he no longer fears, the bright ProtoMan represents the goal he's trying to reach, and the GodZilla BlasterMan and StoneMan represent his feelings of inadequacy and terror._ Roll looked up at him and saw the eyes that normally filled her with strength looking like those of a scared little kid who got in over his head. _Why does Mega have to do this; he never asked to be the world's hero. No wonder he's so scared…_

She reached forward and wrapped her arms around him, getting the both of them on their feet. "Mega, I think I understand now; you're focusing on perfecting the Program Advance so that you can have enough power to stop World Three."

MegaMan nodded, confirming "Yeah; I didn't ask to face World Three. But I have to, and mastering the Program Advance is the only surefire way to do it. If I don't…"

Roll rubbed his neck as she said softly "I understand you're scared about this; I would be too. I'm scared for YOU, Mega. But Mega, locking yourself in your PET and repeating these motions over and over isn't gonna get you any closer; it's just gonna make you more tired and dull your concentration." MegaMan looked down as he realized she was right. _Roll's right; this overtraining is silly._

"And you won't be facing World Three alone, not even in tomorrow's match. Even if we can't kick out BlasterMan and StoneMan, you'll have the legendary SharkMan to back you up, so you can't lose."

MegaMan smiled, hugging Roll tighter. "I'm sorry. I've been an idiot."

Roll giggled "It's ok. Now go get some sleep, and hang out with us tomorrow before your match. Okay Mega?" MegaMan nodded, letting go of Roll as she let go of him. She walked toward the entrance to the Net, only stopping to turn around and flirtatiously call "I'll be watching, so be sure to bring your best!"

MegaMan smirked and watched her go, before thinking about what she just said. The color drained from his face. _I just found something scarier than World Three; messing up in front of Roll!_


	8. Chapter Eight: Forgiveness

A/N: Wow, this was a long chapter. Sorry for the wait; this chapter took longer than I thought. It takes place after the 19th episode of the NT Warrior anime. It takes elements from both the English dub and Japanese original. Anyways, enjoy!

Edited: slight edits

Chapter Eight: Forgiveness

"Hey, can you ever forgive me? I never meant to…"

Roll never got to finish her apology to her partner; all she could sense before passing out was feeling dizzy and sleepy. "Roll!" MegaMan exclaimed as he saw her start to sway, and rushed to catch her in his arms before she hit the floor. He heard Higsby mention something about that accursed devil chip draining her data, but MegaMan was otherwise numb to the outside world, his attention focused on the unconscious navi in his arms. "Roll? Come on Roll; wake up! You can do this, come on Roll!" But no matter how hard he shook or how loudly he screamed, Roll stayed in her deep slumber.

Although slightly better, Maylu felt similarly to MegaMan. She however, was cheered up by Lan's offer to battle in her honor. "Come on MegaMan; let's prep for the next battle!"

When no response came, Lan looked down at his PET to see why; he was greeted by the sight of MegaMan clutching Roll as hard as he could, silent tears dripping from his eyes onto Roll's shoulder. "MegaMan? Hello? Time to jack out, MegaMan."

But MegaMan refused to move, keeping Roll in his embrace as if she'd disappear the moment he slackened his grip. "…No"

"What do you mean no, MegaMan? You're not doing Roll any good by moping here!" Lan wasn't used to hearing such a forceful refusal from his Navi, and the stress from the last tag match wasn't helping.

"I'm not going to abandon her, Lan. You go if you want, but I'm staying right here!"

Sensing that Lan was getting impatient and seeking to avoid an emotional explosion between the two boys, Maylu interjected in an almost motherly voice "MegaMan, I need to jack Roll out so that I can have my PC repair her data. The instant she wakes up, I'll let Lan know so you'll be the first Navi she sees. Okay?" She looked hopefully at him; she knew of Roll's crush on MegaMan and knew it would make Roll extremely happy to see MegaMan when she woke up, not to mention the prospect of Roll's health recovering would make MegaMan very happy.

The Blue Bomber looked at Roll for a second then reluctantly slackened his grip, watching Roll disappear into blue data bits as she was jacked out. _Roll…_ MegaMan felt his heart break as she disappeared, his hand raised as he saw the last bits of data vanish.

"Let's jack out too MegaMan; you can rest for the day so you're all rested up when we fight our next battle!" Lan decided not to make MegaMan do anymore practicing today; it had been a stressful battle for everyone, and as dense as he was, Lan wasn't unsympathetic to MegaMan's inner turmoil.

MegaMan sighed as he disappeared into the PET, a depressed expression on his face. Lan and Maylu said their goodbyes as they went their separate ways, Maylu carrying a relieved expression at the end of their ordeal, whilst Lan showed a concerned expression as he saw MegaMan crouched in the corner of the PET, wrapping his arms around his legs and placing his head between his knees, tears silently trailing down his cheeks.

An hour had passed, and though MegaMan was no longer shedding tears, that didn't mean he felt any better. For the hour after he was jacked into Lan's PC, the Blue Bomber had taken to venting his frustration and anger by punching the walls. If Lan hadn't muted the PC, he would have heard his navi's pained grunts. Lan sighed with his own frustration; he wanted so badly to help his Navi, but didn't know how. Finally deciding to take a chance, he pressed the unmute button on his PC and started "MegaMan, please talk to me; we've always been able to talk before. We're like brothers, MegaMan. So please, talk to me now; let me help you!"

The Blue Bomber ceased punching the walls partway through Lan's speech. _Brothers…_ A smile started to tug at MegaMan's face before drooping back to a frown. "I couldn't protect her"

It was so quiet that Lan almost missed it, but now that he had something to work with, he wasn't about to let this chance slip by. "You mean Roll?" The young boy gently pressed; he had a feeling MegaMan's funk had to do with Roll, but knew MegaMan would feel better if he vocalized it himself.

MegaMan nodded with a teary face. "I was five feet away from her when that chip possessed her, and I was powerless to save her."

Lan bit his lip as he felt torn; he wanted to help MegaMan, but didn't know how. _Agh, what do I do? I don't know how to help!_ Watching MegaMan quietly shed tears again, Lan sighed and turned off the monitor on his PC. He got up, walking away to find the one person who could help him figure this out. As the viewing window closed, MegaMan punched the wall with his fist one last time; his hand shook and what remained of his resolve shattered. He removed his gloves, revealing bruised hands, and let the floodgates open; MegaMan cried as he crouched in the corner, placing his head in his knees.

Knock, Knock. The pink-haired girl lifted her head up from her desk; her attention diverted from Roll's repair function to the almost frantic knocking at her door. _Who would be knocking on my door?_ She got up from her chair and walked over to her door, gingerly twisting the knob and pulling on the handle to reveal the brown-haired netbattler. "Lan? Roll's repairs aren't finished yet, if MegaMan was wondering."

"That's not why I'm here, but thanks for letting me know. Maylu…" Lan looked down at his feet, clasping his hands behind his back and lightly kicking his left heel with his right toe. Not being used to having to ask for help with these kinds of social situations, his face was flushed with embarrassment. "I…I need your help Maylu."

Maylu frowned, concerned about what Lan needed to say. _Lan's never this shy; he usually jumps right into action. Whatever it is, it must be bad…_ Maylu gave a reassuring smile and stepped aside, opening the door further. "Why don't you come inside; you look like you could use a friend…" Lan smiled gratefully and shuffled into the pink room, wordlessly sitting down in an empty chair. "So what's wrong Lan?" Maylu asked as she sat down in an adjacent chair, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Lan revealed his failed attempt to get MegaMan to open up and cheer up. "Honestly Maylu, I don't know what to do. All the problems I've encountered up to this point could always be solved with a good Battle Chip. But now that MegaMan's depressed about what happened to Roll, I just don't know how to help him."

Maylu bit her lip trying to find the right words to comfort him. _I've never seen him so lost. He's like a fish out of water. What can I possibly say…_ Her mind flashed to teasing Roll about her crush on MegaMan, and she had a hunch based off of Lan's tale that MegaMan was starting to crush on Roll. _Should I tell him that's why MegaMan's so upset; it would make this whole mess go away so much more quickly…_ Maylu internally shook her head, brushing the temptation away. _No; then Lan might tell MegaMan, and if MegaMan lets it slip to Roll that he knows about her crush, she'll trace it back to me and that won't be pretty. I promised Roll I wouldn't tell anyone about her crush. No, they need to solve this themselves._ She squeezed his hand, grabbing Lan's attention, before saying "Lan, as much as I hate to say it, I don't think there's much you can do in this situation; MegaMan's suffering from guilt for what happened to Roll, and as much as I hate to say it the only one who can snap him out of it is Roll."

"But why Maylu? Why would MegaMan respond to Roll but not to me?" Lan looked at Maylu pleading for an answer that made sense.

Maylu smiled sadly at him; he looked a little cute when he was confused like that, and she sympathized with how the boy felt. "Believe me Lan, I wish I could tell you. But I'm afraid this is something you have to find out on your own. In the meantime all we can do is wait for Roll to recover."

Then, as if by magic, Maylu's PC dinged, notifying her that Roll's repairs had been completed. _Saved by the bell…_ Maylu thought as she exclaimed "You're in luck Lan; Roll's recovery just finished!" Grins plastered themselves to both of their faces. Maylu ran up to her computer, with Lan close behind, and exclaimed "Roll! How are you?"

The pink Navi yawned as her eyes fluttered open and she gingerly stepped out of the pink chair and metallic repair rings that she had been recovering in. "Hey Maylu. Oh, hey Lan" she greeted as she noticed as she saw Lan's face in the corner of the viewing screen. _If Lan's here, then that means…_ she looked around, her excitement falling. "Mega? Lan, where's MegaMan?" Lan and Maylu looked at each other, an uncomfortable silence between the two leaving Roll concerned. _Okay, now I'm worried._ "Maylu, what's going on?"

Maylu bit her lip in a feeling of indecision; she knew that MegaMan's guilty state was tearing Lan up inside and she knew Roll would gladly help in a heartbeat. _But still, Roll just woke up. She's still weak from that battle and I don't want her to strain herself so soon. Oh, what should I do?_ She looked over at Lan for a moment to see his brown eyes practically pleading with her. Maylu caved and turned back to her navi. "Roll, MegaMan's…not himself right now. After your battle with TorchMan and WackoMan, he felt guilty about your…possession…and now he won't come out of the PC. Even Lan can't snap him out of it."

Roll took a moment to process what she had just heard; she didn't want to believe it, but one look at Lan and Maylu's faces told her that they weren't joking. Without a hint of hesitation, she spoke "Lan, put me in your PET and take me to MegaMan."

Maylu nodded with understanding. "Do it; Roll's not gonna change her mind on this, and it's the fastest way to get MegaMan out of his funk."

"Alright then; get ready, Roll." He jacked the wire from his PET into Maylu's PC and waited for Roll to disappear in a flash of blue data bits. Once his PET notified him that she was safely inside, Lan unplugged the PET and put it in its holder. He turned to Maylu, embracing her in gratitude, much to the pink-haired girl's shock. "Thank you, Maylu. I'll bring her back as soon as possible, I promise."

Smiling at Lan, she returned the hug, murmuring "I trust you, Lan." She released him, holding him at arm's length before finishing "Now get out of here, alright? MegaMan's not going to cure himself you know!"

Lan smiled at her playful teasing, then wordlessly walked out the door, his spirits rising at the prospect of MegaMan healing. It wasn't long before they arrived back in Lan's room. "Alright Roll; you ready?"

"Send me in; I'm ready" Roll replied with confidence.

Grinning, Lan wrapped two fingers on the plug of his PET. Yanking on the wire, he yelled "Here goes then. Jack-in, Roll, POWER-UP!"

In seconds, Roll had reformed in Lan's PC. She turned her head, seeing the familiar blue room that she had been in on prior occasions with MegaMan. "Mega? Where are you Mega?" She heard a sniffling noise, and after turning around she found the Blue Bomber crouched in the corner, his arms wrapped around his legs and his head buried in his knees. He had run out of tears to cry, so he reduced his snobs to pitiful sniffles. "Oh no, Lan and Maylu really weren't kidding." Removing her gloves and helmet and placing them on the floor next to her, she made her way to the suffering Navi in front of her. She got on her knees and gingerly patted his cheek with her right hand. "Mega…Mega…"

MegaMan weakly lifted his head to look up at Roll, his eyes widening after it finally registered in his mind that Roll was in front of him. _She's awake! She's alright!_ "Roll…thank goodness!" An amazed smile spread across his face. Not trusting his words to express the depth of his joy, he threw his arms around her, tears somehow leaking anew.

Roll gingerly returned the embrace, all the while reaching up and undoing the latch on MegaMan's helmet, removing it and placing it next to them. She ran her hands through his hair, comforting the young Navi "It's okay Mega; it's over now. Everything's alright."

After a few minutes, MegaMan stopped crying, having calmed down from the shock of Roll's appearance. Roll got up from their position, helping MegaMan to stand, and guided them towards the nearby kitchen. As they passed, she noticed a decent-sized dent in the wall, and looked down at the blue Navi she was guiding to see his bruised knuckles.

Brushing aside her added concern for now, she sat MegaMan down in a nearby wooden chair and went over to the counter, snapping her fingers and making a hot kettle and two mugs to appear. She poured the tea into the mugs and brought them over to the table nearest to where she sat down MegaMan. Taking a seat across from him, she passed the first mug over to MegaMan who accepted it gratefully. They each took a sip, until Roll broke the silence. "Maylu and Lan told me you haven't been feeling like yourself after that tag match. You wanna talk about it?"

MegaMan nodded and looked down at his mug, trying to collect his thoughts. "I…I'm sorry Roll. I couldn't do anything for you…"

Roll reached over and grabbed his hand. "Mega, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"But I DO!" MegaMan exclaimed. "I didn't think of that Devil Chip as suspicious when Yahoot gave it to you, I couldn't stop it from possessing you, and I couldn't free you from Zap's control. I was a terrible friend, Roll."

Roll squeezed his hand tighter, gently asking "Is that why you indented that wall over there?"

Both of their gazes wandered over to the fist-shaped indent in the wall, and to MegaMan's bruised hands, which he immediately hid under the table. MegaMan blushed and looked away in embarrassment. "Yeah; I was just so angry at myself that I was trying to vent my frustration."

"I see…" Roll let go and walked over to where MegaMan was sitting, embracing him again and helping him to put his tea mug down. "Mega, you shouldn't feel guilty for what happened. None of us thought that World Three would pull that stunt. And you're NOT a terrible friend, okay? A terrible friend wouldn't have hesitated to attack me when Maylu asked. Heck, a terrible friend would have gone the ProtoMan route and just deleted me. But you kept faith and did everything you could to try and get me back to normal without hurting me. Mega, you're the greatest friend anyone could ask for. So please, stop beating yourself up about it. It wasn't your fault."

He looked up at her as she ran her hands through his spiky hair, and smiled. _How does she always know what to say to make me feel better?_ Shaking his head and chuckling a little bit, he grabbed her hands with his own and said "Thanks Roll. You're the best."

Both Roll and MegaMan blushed, looking away from each other shyly as they tightened their grip on each other's hands. Roll looked down at MegaMan's stomach wound, her own green eyes swimming with guilt as she recalled how she had literally crushed MegaMan under her heel while under the influence of the Devil Chip. Making her own hand glow pink, she murmured "I can fix that…"

As she reached forward, she found herself stopped, her wrist grabbed by MegaMan. Shaking his head, he said "As much as I appreciate the gesture, what will make me feel better is if you save your strength. You just got out of recovering your lost data, and I don't want you straining yourself for my sake. Just this once, Roll? Please?"

Despite her maternal instinct urging her to do otherwise, Roll still felt tired and she found her willpower dissolving at the sight of MegaMan's green puppy-dog eyes. Sighing, she made the glow dissipate, replying "Just this once, Mega." She then looked at him with a determined expression and exclaimed "Just be sure to trash StoneMan and BlasterMan for me, alright? And show that jerk ProtoMan what you're made of!"

MegaMan smiled and grasped her hand, letting go of her wrist. "You can count on it!"

Roll smiled, happy at successfully turning MegaMan's mood around. She got up and said "Well, I should get going; Lan still has to get me back to Maylu. Visit me later?"

MegaMan embraced her, whispering in her ear "You can count on it."

Tears of happiness started to leak from Roll's eyes. Separating from him, she walked away and grabbed her helmet from the floor, putting it back on her head. "Alright Lan, jack me out!"

In a matter of seconds, Roll disappeared in a swirl of data bits. MegaMan smiled and walked over to his bed, plopping down on it and falling asleep in moments, no longer in turmoil.

After Lan left, Maylu turned to Roll on her PC screen and cautiously started "So I take it everything went well?"

Roll smiled and replied "Yeah, and thanks for not telling Lan about…you know."

Maylu smiled and continued "I'd never betray one of your secrets, Roll. So, are you going to tell him how you feel? I think this little episode showed that MegaMan really cares about you, more than he cares about Glyde and GutsMan and the rest of the gang."

Roll smiled and closed her eyes, glad that Maylu wasn't teasing her about her crush. "Not yet. But soon, maybe after he wins the tournament."

Maylu smiled, satisfied with her answer. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed. Good night, Roll. Sweet dreams."

After the viewing window was turned off, Roll smiled and crawled into bed, truly having sweet dreams.


	9. Chapter Nine: Rolls are Red

Chapter Nine: Rolls are Red, Protos are Blue

 _Even when I save him from deletion, ProtoMan's still as aloof as ever…_ MegaMan grumbled.

"Ah, forget about those two. Why don't we see how Roll's recovery is going" Lan suggested.

MegaMan's attention was instantly diverted; though Roll had recovered enough to be awake and walking around, she was still a tad slower than normal, and every now and again would feel a brief jolt of pain if she overexerted himself, leaving MegaMan worried whenever he left her alone, as the pink Navi had a tendency to act rashly at times. Suffice to say, MegaMan practically jumped at any chance to spend time with Roll. "Well don't just stand there; hurry up and hit the jack-out button!"

Lan chuckled and obeyed, watching as MegaMan disappeared in a swirl of data bits. He then began the trek back to his house, with not only MegaMan but his friends in tow as well.

Separating from the group, he blazed up the stairs, running past his mother who only smiled at her son's antics. Slamming the door open, Lan hastily took a seat at his PC, yanking the cord from his PET. "Alright, you ready? Jack-in, MEGAMAN, Power-Up!"

The Blue Bomber reformed just outside of the door to his PC and after making a quick mental note to thank Lan later, began walking down the cyberpath towards Roll's PC. As he walked, MegaMan noticed stray viruses walking around, hardly a new sight for the navi. On earlier occasions, Lan would have MegaMan delete them to gain more battling experience and Zenny to spend on rare Battle Chips at Higsby's shop. This time however, MegaMan simply ignored them and let them go on with their business. Right now, his attention was focused solely on seeing Roll. Finally he approached the pink door, where he raised his hand and knocked three times. After a minute, the door opened to reveal the pink navi with a tired expression on her face. At seeing who was there though, her face immediately brightened as she exclaimed "Mega!"

She yanked his arm, pulling him in, with MegaMan giving a surprised laugh at Roll's sudden greeting. "Nice to see you too, Roll! How are things down here?"

Roll playfully gave an annoyed grunt. "Ugh, it's so boring being cooped up in this recovery room all day. I don't get to do anything except rest and maybe walk around this room a bit. Thank goodness I only have to put up with this for a couple more days. I don't know how much more of this I could take!"

MegaMan gave an amused smile as she threw up her hands in melodramatic frustration. "It'll be over before you know it, Roll."

Roll gave a grateful smile at MegaMan's attempt to cheer her up. She sat down on a nearby couch, motioning for MegaMan to join her. Obeying, he walked over and sat next to her, both of them enjoying the quiet solitude. Eventually Roll broke it by asking "So how was your match today? I would have gone to watch, but Maylu made me stay in this room all day and rest."

"It was difficult, but we made it through and sent StoneMan and BlasterMan packing" MegaMan calmly replied. He hoped that the conversation would end there; some details of that battle he didn't want Roll to know, and although he would never lie to her, he hoped that she didn't ask anymore questions.

However, that hope was not to be; starting with Roll clenching her fists at the mention of the two solo navis. She remembered being worried and fearful when the two of them pulled that stunt in the arena and nearly deleted MegaMan and SharkMan. The only reason she let it drop before was because she didn't want to disrupt the blue Bomber's self-confidence, especially after their chat when he was in his "overtraining episode". She relaxed her grip after MegaMan lay his hand on one of her own. For a moment, she was content, until his sentence ran through her head again. "Wait, that was a tag match, right? So who was your partner?"

MegaMan sighed, thinking _I knew this was coming…_ Coming clean, he murmured "ProtoMan."

Roll's eyes widened; she should have guessed that ProtoMan would be his tag partner. "Well, at least everything turned out alright…" Roll grumbled. Her eyes wandered until she saw the bruise on MegaMan's stomach. "Mega, what happened? Your stomach…" MegaMan winced; he forgot all about the bruise ProtoMan left when he knocked him out cold. "Mega…" Roll pressed, her voice showing concern.

Sighing, MegaMan revealed the slightest details about ProtoMan's lack of teamwork and synergy. A fire blazed in Roll's eyes; the mere thought of a navi, who was supposed to be MegaMan's PARTNER, attacking him so that he couldn't "get in the way", made her data boil. _Why that stuck-up, irritating, red buffoon!_

Roll would have vocalized her anger, had MegaMan not grasped her hands again to distract her. He hastily revealed about how he rescued ProtoMan from deletion and mastered the Program Advance to defeat StoneMan. Roll calmed down slightly, somewhat satisfied at the turn of events. Before they could talk anymore however, MegaMan's emblem beeped. Sighing, he turned to her, saying "It's Lan. I've got to go." MegaMan got up, and stopped as he approached the doorway. "See you soon Roll."

Roll nodded, watching as the Blue Bomber left Maylu's PC. Once she heard the door close, her thoughts wandered back to ProtoMan's actions. Feeling her anger rise, she got up off the couch, and after several minutes quietly opened the door and walked down the cyber road. _Alright, ProtoMan, it's time you learned some manners!_

After walking a ways, Roll sat on the floor, frustrated at the sheer difficulty of locating the red pest. _Where's that Proto-Pest when you WANT to find him?_

Roll sighed, exasperated and fatigued, when she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. "Miss Roll? What are you doing out so late?"

Roll looke dup to see Yai's butler navi Glyde looking down at her with a curious expression that somehow still remained neutral. Careful not to give too much away, she replied "Oh, I just oculdn't sleep and thought I'd take a walk. And your story?"

"Oh, I was just getting back from delivering a message to Chaud from Miss Yai…" Quickly seeing Roll's angry yet curious expression, he briefly explained how Chaud saved Yai when they were stuck in an elevator.

 _Well,at least that stuck-up jerk is good for something…_ A light bulb went off in Roll's head. _That's it; I'll just get the info from Glyde._ She held her hand towards him and asked innocently "Glyde, would you mind helping me up?"

Confused by Roll's odd question, Glyde nonetheless politely grabbed her hand, helping Roll to stand up. Once she wa stable, Roll quickly activated her energy powers, but instead of using it to heal like she did with her crush MegaMan, she instead drained Glyde's energy, causing him to become drowsy. "Miss Roll? What's…"

Glyde was out before he could finish another word. _Sorry Glyde, but I can't have you telling anyone where I'm going yet. Now for that weblink…_ She uncurled her head ribbons, using them to scan Glyde until she found the link to Chaud's PC hidden inside his core. Carefully moving Glyde up aginst a wall, she began marching to the red door where ProtoMan lay in wait.

Back in Dentech City, a bush of pink hair peaked out from the blankets, revealing Maylu to be sound asleep. She groaned, roused from her slumber as she sat up, rubbing her eyes as she fought the sleepiness trying to reclaim her. She looked at her PET at the desk, reading "3:00? It's too early to be up. Roll, can you activate that music track for me please?" But no music played, causing Maylu to get a little worried. "Roll, did you hear me? Is everything alright?" But no answer came from the PET. She frantically looked at the screen, not seeing Roll anywhere. _No no no, this can't be happening!_ She pressed the search button, waiting an agonizing five seconds before the screen read _Navi not found in PET device._ Her eyes showing how frantic she was, she thought _I need to find Roll._ Not hesitating for a moment, she ran out of her house, still in her nightgown, and across the street, flinging open the Hikaris' door. Racing up the stairs, she went up to Lan's door and banged on the wooden frame, not caring if she woke up his parents. "LAN NETTO HIKARI, OPEN UP! PLEASE, LAN, I NEED YOUR HELP!"

Her energy spent, she felt weak in the knees, starting to bend over as tears escaped her brown eyes, the young girl sobbing as succumbed to the worry and sadness that drained her. It was then that the door opened, Maylu being shaken out of her stupor by two hands grabbing her shoulders, gently supporting her weight until she could stand on her own. She looked up to see the young netbattler, one of the few times without his signature headband, looking down at her with a hint of curiosity. "Maylu? What's wrong? Why are you up so late?"

Maylu smiled at the delicious irony of that last question, the extra happiness giving her the ability to stand a little straighter and to wipe the tear tracks from her eyes. "Can we…can we talk in your room, please?"

Maylu blushed, her face the color of her hair, but it was too dark for Lan to see that detail. He wordlessly wrapped one arm around her shoulder and suported her as she hobbled to the chair next to his desk, Lan opting to sit at the edge of his bed. Neither of them saw Mrs. Hikari glancing in, smiling at the two before silently walking back downstairs to get a couple of extra blankets from the closet. Lan grabbed her hand, causing her to focus her attention on the young boy. "What happened, Maylu?"

Maylu sniffled, causing Lan to look at her with concern. Before he oculd ask if she was alright, she stuttered "I…It's Roll. She's disappeared." At this point, MegaMan had woken up,and listened intently as Maylu explained to Lan how Roll wasn't there when she woke up, getting more hysterical with every word. "I don't know what to do, Lan. I've searched for her on my PET, I've even tried pressing the recall button to try and contact her, but she's not answering. She ALWAYS responds, Lan! What am I going to do?"

Lann grabbed her face in his hands, forcing the young girl to calm down. "Maylu, it's going to be alright. We'll find Roll, wherever she is. But we have to stay calm and focus." Maylu noted the irony of the situation as she forced herself to take a deep breath and relax.

The Blue Bomber was about to chime in when he heard a groan from behind him. He turned around, and gasped in shock to see a barely conscious Glyde walking towards him. "Glyde? First Maylu, now you? What's going on around here?"

Glyde forced his eyes to stay open, and murmured "Put Lan and Maylu on the big screen. I have information that Maylu needs to find Roll."

Not hesitating, MegaMan yelled "Hey guys, Glyde says he might know where Roll went!"

That got their attention; the two children let go of each other and turned their attention to the PC showing Glyde's form. Shaking off the weariness, he said "I was on my way back from delivering a message from Miss Yai when I saw Miss Roll in the center square. When I mentioned that I had finished delivering a message for Mister Chaud, she asked me to help her up, and then started draining my energy. When I awoke, she was gone, an dI quickly scanned myself to see that during the time I was unconscious, someone had accessed the link to Mister Chaud's PC that was stored in my databanks."

MagaMan's face turned white with realization; he knew that Roll was peeved at ProtoMan for how he treated him during the tag match, and now he knew that she was going to attempt to teach ProtoMan a lesson. Instantly his mind flashed back to her near-deletion at the hands of TorchMan. _Except ProtoMan won't give her the luxury of the added time to gloat._ He turned his head to face the two NetOps, exclaiming "Maylu, I'll go bring Roll back. Lan, be prepared to send me some Battle Chips if things get ugly."

Glyde nodded, extracting the link from his databanks and sending it to MegaMan. After absorbing the data, MegaMan disappeared in a flash of data bits, leaving Glyde to fall asleep again and Maylu and Roll to stare intensely at the screen. _Good Luck, MegaMan._

Roll had just approached the red door that signified the entrance to Chaud's PC. _Well, here goes nothing…_ She hammered on the door, yelling "PROTOMAN! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW, PROTOMAN!"

The navi in quesiton was busy training inside his training room when the loud knocking interrupted his concentration. "What navi would be foolish enough to bang down the door to Master Chaud's PC?" Sighing, he walked over to the door and opened it, raising an eyebrow in surprise at the pink navi standing before him. "Well, if it isn't Sakurai's hotshot net navi. You get lost or something?"

He noted the burning anger in her eyes as she gritted her teeth, seething "We need to talk, ProtoMan. Now."

Somewhat impressed by her bravado, ProtoMan sighed and stepped outside, closing the door. "Make it snappy kid. I have a match with your blue buddy in two days and I'm not going to lose because I spent too long chatting and not enough training."

 _Is battling ALL this guy thinks about?_ Pushing that thought aside for now, Roll focused her glare at him, and let loose. "Your and Chaud's obsession with complete and total victory nearly got MegaMan deleted. And not only did you completely abandon any and all notion of teamwork, you attacked your own partner when he tried to help you out. Partners don't DO that to each other. Why MegaMan even cared enough to save your sorry behind is beyond me. You and Chaud should be grateful; if MegaMan didn't jump in when he did, you would have fit nicely into a sandwich." Roll smiled smugly at the thought, before finsihing "There are more important things than winning, ProtoPest, and until you and Chaud learn that, no matter how many championships you win, you two will never be winners."

Satisfied, Roll turned on her heel, leaving ProtoMan stunned silent, a rarity despite the navi's low social skills. She barely walked five steps when MegaMan flashed in a blue swirl. "ROLL!" He grasped her shoulders frantically, and asked "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Roll stared at the Blue Bomber in shock; she had seen him compliment her, she had seen him cry in guilt over her pain, but never had she seen him so frantic over her running off. Before she could offer an assurance, she was interrupted by ProtoMan. "Your girlfriend came to try to set me straight. Take my advice, MegaMan, don't make her angry."

Both navis stared in shock as the red navi disappeared into Chaud's PC. MagaMan wrapped his hand around Roll's, whispering "We'll talk later." Roll nodded as they walked back to Lan's PC.

When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of Lan and Maylu, both conked out on the bed, laying next to each other as Mrs. Hikari lay an extra blanket over the two before walking back downstairs, a smile gracing her face. MegaMan and Roll smiled at the adorable scene behind them. The serenity was interrupted as MegaMan heard the sound of Roll interfacing with the PET to take a picture of the sleeping NetBattlers. The distraction reminded MegaMan of how worried he was, causing him to turn around and lay a hand on her shoulder. When Roll turned to face him, he scolded "What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself hurt, if not deleted."

Roll looked to the side, unused to seeing MegaMan's green eyes directing frustration at her. "Someone had to put ProtoMan in his place, and I couldn't just let go how he hurt you like that."

MegaMan sighed; he understood Roll's intentions, but it didn't mean his worries were alleviated. "Roll, what if ProtoMan hadn't let you yell at him? What if he had used a Program Advance on you back there? I know you can handle yourself, but he's in another league. He might be too tough for even me, and I almost lost you once to this crazy tournament." Both navis looked away as the image of Devil Roll flashed through their memory cores.

Angry tears dripped down his face as he struggle to find the words to express the depth of emotions running through his core. Roll looked down in guilt, her heart breaking at MegaMan's frustration. _This wasn't worth it; it's not worth seeing Mega cry._ She lay her hand on his cheek, wiping away the tears from his eye. "Mega, I'm sorry I acted rashly and ran off. I shouldn't have worried you and Maylu like that. I promise, tomorrow I'll apologize to Maylu and Glyde, and I'm sorry for worrying you."

MegaMan embraced her, not wanting to continue feeling frustrated and angry anymore. Gesturing to the sleeping NetOps, MegaMan said "It's late; why don't we follow Lan and Maylu's lead?"

Roll smiled and watched as MegaMan silently conjured up two beds, getting in one as Roll took the other. Both wordlessly went to sleep, the day's events tiring them all.


	10. Chapter Ten: Deletion

A/N: Sorry it's been a while. Anyways, here's the tenth chapter, based on the end of Episode 22 of MegaMan NT Warrior. This also includes a fair amount of Lanx Maylu fluff, so enjoy!

Chapter Ten: Deletion

 _This can't be happening…it just can't. MegaMan…_ Lan cried as he was carried by Maysa from the sinking battle arena. Maysa looked down at the boy with pity as the helicopter arrived at the nearby pier where everyone had been cheering Lan on. Everyone stood there, shocked at the sight of seeing the usually cheery netbattler shedding tears.

Eventually, Maylu burst out of the crowd, running up to the boy. "Lan! Thank goodness you're alright. You did great by the…" She stopped at seeing the boy sob in front of her. _What's going on; Lan never cries, at least not in public. What could have happened during that match?_ "Lan, what's going on? What happened?"

Maysa let go of Lan, leaving the young boy to stumble towards his longtime friend. He looked up at her, tears filling his eyes. "Maylu. MegaMan…MegaMan's de…dele…"

Lan never got to finish, for he tripped on his next step, forcing Maylu to catch him in her arms. Shocked at his sobbing on her shoulder, she yelled "Yai, get your limo ready; we need to get him home right now."

Normally, Yai would have balked at the idea of someone giving her an order. However, this time she wordlessly nodded and activated the call feature on her PET. With that, the crowd dispersed, everyone going home except for Lan, Maylu, Dex, Tory, and Yai. Maylu took the opportunity to gently rub Lan's back, trying to impart some sense of comfort to the boy who had his arms wrapped around her neck as though he were clinging on for dear life. Before she could say any more, Yai yelled "Maylu, the limo's here; now hurry up so we can take your boyfriend home!"

The fact that Yai had called Lan her boyfriend not even registering in Maylu's thoughts, the pink-haired girl awkwardly shuffled her and Lan to Yai's limo, moving Lan in first and sitting herself next to him, all the while never removing Lan's head from her shoulder. As the car drove, Lan continued to weep into Maylu's shoulder, too stricken with shock and grief to care that everyone in the limo could see and hear him.

Eventually they arrived at the familiar house, with Mrs. Hikari already standing outside, a worried expression on her face. Yai and the others watched as Lan and Maylu awkwardly got out of the limo, watching as the vehicle sped off into the distance. She then turned around, walking Lan into his home. "Lan, sweetie, are you okay?" his mom fretted, knowing something was wrong with her baby boy, but only having caught snippets on the television didn't know exactly what had transpired that would reduce him to tears.

Both wrapped an arm around one of his shoulders as they silently agreed to finish this conversation somewhere more comfortable. They supported the young boy as they walked over to the nearby couch, Maylu and Mrs. Hikari each taking a seat next to Lan. Mrs. Hikari grabbed the TV Remote and turned off the news broadcast that was playing in the background, leaving the three with peace and quiet. Maylu grabbed his hand, trying to ease and comfort the young boy. "Why don't you start from the beginning, Lan?"

A faint blush covered Lan's face, only to disappear as he felt his mother's hand stroking his back. Looking at her sad smile, and feeling Maylu rubbing his hand with her thumb, Lan found the strength to talk coherently. "It started with the end of our battle against ProtoMan. We finished with the Program Advance. We gave it our all, and even though we lost, I was so proud of MegaMan. But then, just as the match was ending, another Navi entered the arena. A solo navi calling himself PharaohMan, shot a blast at ProtoMan, and MegaMan took the hit." Tears leaked from his eyes as he continued "It was powerful enough to delete MegaMan. MegaMan's gone." Lan started sobbing again, choosing to bury his head in his mother's side, embracing her. "I miss him so much Mom. I just want this all to be a bad dream. I want MegaMan back!"

Mrs. Hikari embraced her son, stroking his back as his tears dampened her shirt. "Shh, Shh, it's okay. There, there, Lan" she soothed.

She hummed a song, humming turning to singing, making Lan slowly a little more droopy. This did not go unnoticed by the young girl in the room, who watched as the mother comforted her son. _A lullaby? Is this what got Lan to sleep as a baby? It sounds pretty…_ Maylu shook her head as she watched Lan fall closer to dreamland. _I should probably let Mrs. Hikari handle this. Besides…_ she glanced down at her pocket, where her PET was giving off muffled crying noises. _Someone else is in need of a mother right now too._

As she started to walk towards the door, she was interrupted by Mrs. Hikari's voice. "There's an extra set of blankets in the closet Maylu. I think it would mean a lot to Lan if you were here when he woke up."

Maylu smiled at the offer, replying "Thanks Mrs. Hikari." She paused, then remarked "That was a beautiful lullaby by the way. It seems to have worked like a charm…" The pink-haired netbattler gestured to Lan, who had since fallen asleep on his mother's lap.

Mrs. Hikari smiled and reminisced, remarking "That lullaby worked wonders on my boys." Maylu caught the plural, but before she could ask about it, Mrs. Hikari interrupted "It's a long story, and it's been a long day. Go set yourself up in the guest room next to Lan's, I'll take him up to his in a little bit."

Maylu nodded gratefully and grabbed a set of pink blankets from the nearby closet before heading upstairs. As soon as Maylu was out of earshot, Mrs. Hikari grabbed the landline next to her, and dialed. "Honey, it's me. You need to come home; our boys need you."

Soft sobbing could be heard from the PET as the pink Navi curled up in a ball, hugging her knees to her chest as the tears cascaded down her face. She had watched through the Net as the Blue Bomberwas deleted by the mysterious PharaohMan. So shocked was she by the sight of MegaMan's deletion that it hadn't occurred to her to activate the mute feature to keep Maylu from hearing her. _This can't be happening. This has to be some nightmare that I've fallen into. It can't be real. Mega's invincible. Mega…_

She cried harder, going back and forth between grief and denial before running out of tears to cry, and with it accepting that today wasn't a bad dream. _Today was going to be your triumph, Mega._ Roll thought back to earlier that day, her last moments with the Blue Bomber.

 _Earlier that Day_

Lan's match was going to start in a half hour, and he and MegaMan were swelling with pride. _For once, it doesn't matter if we win; our friends supporting us like this makes it all worth it. And that's one thing Chaud and ProtoMan will never have_ the two thought simultaneously.

Everybody except Lan, MegaMan, Maylu, and Roll had vacated to the audience seats and respective PETs. Both Lan and Maylu muted their PETs, Maylu wanting to give Roll some privacy with MegaMan, and though Lan wasn't exactly sure why he should, his instincts told him to give his NetNavi some privacy. With that, the two Navis looked awkwardly at each other, with Roll starting "So, you did it Mega; you stopped World Three's strongest Navis and you're finally at the championships."

MegaMan smiled awkwardly at the praise; even with all his accomplishments, he still felt a touch awkward when other Navis complimented him. "I know; it seems like just last week we were roasting TorchMan in your kitchen oven."

Roll chuckled at the memory; in all honesty it had only been a couple months that Lan had been in possession of MegaMan and the two had met. "I know you'll do great out there, Mega. And remember, we'll be behind you every step of the way."

MegaMan's heart warmed, touched at the faith and encouragement in Roll's words. "Thanks, Roll."

It was then that MegaMan noticed the PET was un-muted and Lan exclaimed "Hey MegaMan; our match is gonna start soon!"

MegaMan rolled his eyes and replied "Alright Lan, I'll be right there!" He turned to the pink Navi in front of him and apologized "Sorry; I've got to go before Mr. Impatient gets even less patient." As he turned around, he felt Roll grab his arm long enough for her to lean forward and kiss his cheek. MegaMan blushed, his artificial heart racing. "R…Roll? Wh…wha?"

Roll giggled at his behavior; for all his battle prowess the Blue Bomber seemed to be inept when it came to gestures of romantic affection. _Yep; he's definitely Lan's NetNavi._ She winked at him and while blushing remarked "Consider that your good luck charm. Come see me after you win, Mega!"

With that she skipped off to her PET and disappeared in a swirl of data bits, leaving MegaMan to stand there, his left hand holding his blushing cheek and struck with disbelief. Before he could ponder any longer, he heard "Come on, MegaMan; we've got a match to win!"

Now out of his daydreaming state, MegaMan nodded, his confused expression replaced with a determined one as he retreated back into his PET, thinking _I'll win, Roll!_

 _End Flashback_

If only life were as kind; MegaMan lost the battle, but earned ProtoMan's respect, all before sacrificing himself to save ProtoMan from PharaohMan. Now an unstoppable Navi was raging through the Net, except this time there was no MegaMan to stop him. But this fact was lost on Roll as she grieved the loss of her best friend and secret crush. She was about to shut down when a voice interrupted "Roll, are you okay?"

She looked up to see her NetOp looking at her with a worried expression. Roll shook her head and buried it back in her knees. "It's okay to talk about it, Roll." Maylu looked at her Navi, silently pleading with her to open up so she could help her.

Roll sighed and got out of the ball she had contorted herself into, standing up. Her knees shook as she spoke. "I miss him so much, Maylu. Why did he have to sacrifice himself? I never even got to tell him how I felt about him."

Maylu bit her lip; she wanted so badly to hug her Navi and comfort her problems away like she could do with Lan. But that was impossible, so she would have to settle with words. "I'm so sorry about MegaMan, Roll. I know how much you cared about him." Maylu paused as she considered her next words. "But Roll, think about how Lan feels; he's lost the closest thing he's had to a brother. Right now, he needs our support."

Roll sniffled, murmuring "But Maylu, it hurts…"

"I know Roll; everyone's hurt. But Lan needs us to be strong; and remember I'm still here for you. So let's support each other. It's what MegaMan would want."

Roll reminisced back to the times when she and MegaMan would hold each other, letting the warmth of those memories give her strength. Her knees stopped shaking as she stood up straighter, a slight smile tugging at her lips as she wiped her eyes. "Alright; I'll do it. For Mega."

Maylu smiled at her Navi. She turned and said "I'm gonna go check on Lan. I'll be back soon."

There was no hesitation when Roll interjected "Wait Maylu; let me help!" _It's what Mega would have wanted._ She pushed back her own grief, staying strong as Maylu grabbed the PET and walked out of the room.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Reunion

A/N: Well, we're at the end of Season 1 of NT Warrior. I'm gonna take some time to make edits to this season before starting season two. In the meantime, I'd be interested to know what you think about my characterization of MegaMan and Roll's relationship thus far. I don't normally ask this, but please review. I look forward to starting season two, and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Eleven: Reunion

Maylu was worried; it was true that Lan was no longer the sobbing mess that he was following MegaMan's deletion, and that fact should have given her comfort. However, she found that the boy she knew was seemingly replaced with someone who was the complete opposite. _Not hungry? Doing his homework without being nagged? Waking up and going to school EARLY? That CAN'T be Lan Hikari._

And when Maylu was worried, Roll was worried too. Whilst she still felt depressed about the loss of her secret crush, she had taken solace in her role as Maylu's mother figure, and extending her motherly affection to Lan in his time of need. "Perhaps he's just trying to find a way to cope with this craziness. We all are, aren't we?"

Maylu looked at her PC in surprise; she didn't expect Roll to know what she was thinking, and she certainly didn't expect her to give such sage advice out of the blue like that. "Roll? How did you…"

A smile tugged at Roll's lips as she tried to comfort "Don't look so surprised, Maylu. I've practically been your mother since you were six, remember. And besides, we're all feeling upset about MegaMan."

Maylu looked down in guilt; she knew exactly how hurt Roll was by MegaMan's deletion. And although it wasn't voiced, she felt like she had unconsciously insinuated that Roll wasn't feeling what the entire group was feeling. _Some friend I am…_ Maylu berated herself. "I'm sorry Roll. I didn't mean…"

Roll held up a hand and interrupted "It's okay; I'm not offended. Do you want to talk?"

Maylu was touched; she knew that she gave her Navi a pep talk a couple days prior, but still felt a little guilty about spreading her Navi's emotional resources thin. _Instead of grieving, she's been taking care of me and Lan. What did I do to deserve you?_ She sighed, finally answering "I guess…I guess I'm just trying to wrap my head around all this. I expected Lan to be upset; I expected everyone to be upset. But hearing about him refusing food, doing homework, and waking up early, I just don't know how to react to that, Roll. I really don't."

"It worries me too, Maylu. But I think the best thing we can do right now is let him know that we're there for him and let him come to us when he feels ready."

"Maybe you're right Roll. I think I'll…" Maylu happened to glance down at her PET and exclaimed "ROLL! Look at this!"

Roll connected herself to the PET and looked at the screen; in the corner was a golden ring that spun like a top. "What is that thing?" She uncurled her head ribbons and tried to attach them to the foreign object, only for an invisible force field to repel her.

"Don't know. You, Roll?"

Roll gazed at it intently, trying to figure out what it was. "Got me, never seen it before." She closed her eyes in thought as she continued to inspect the foreign object. _It does look familiar though. I can't put my finger on it, but I can't shake the feeling that I've seen something like this before…_ Before she could contemplate further, the PET beeped, shaking Roll out of her thoughts and causing her to divert her attention to the alert. "Maylu, you have e-mails from Dex, Yai, and Tory."

Maylu raised her eyebrow questioningly, but proceeded to open the e-mails. "Apparently we're not the only ones with this strange ring. All of us have them on our PETs. Roll, I think this might have something to do with MegaMan."

Roll nodded, the Blue Bomber creeping into her thoughts. "Yeah, I think you might be right. That might explain the ring's shape; it looks like the emblem on his chest. Maylu, I think we should get the others and tell Lan."

Maylu nodded, exclaiming "You're right" and immediately placed a joint call to Dex, Tory, and Yai. "Hey guys, I think we need to go see Lan about this…"

The next day, they had all waited for Lan at his doorstep, and when he had finally returned, they briefly discussed the new development. Lan and Roll both felt hope rise in their hearts when Glyde suggested that combining the rings might bring MegaMan back, but they didn't let it show on their faces. After they combined into his data, the group briefly pondered what to do, until Lan's father arrived. Everyone smiled as the long absent father entered the room. "Now let's get MegaMan back!" Everyone in the room smiled, but none were smiling wider than Lan and Roll. For the first time, things were finally looking up again.

As Mrs. Hikari was preparing her world famous spaghetti and meat sauce, Maylu glanced at her PET. Roll grunted as she pulled her gloves over her hands and shook her hair before placing her shined helmet on. Roll smiled, saying "I can see you looking at me like that." She turned around, facing her NetOp, continuing "What's wrong, Maylu. This is gonna be a great day! We're gonna get MEGA back!"

Maylu watched as Roll absent mindedly twirled with glee. _I want to be happy. I really do._ She confessed "Roll, this journey could be very dangerous. PharaohMan won't hesitate to delete you if he finds you and…" A single tear cascaded down her cheek as she finished "And I don't want to lose you too, Roll."

Roll looked at her NetOp. She understood the worry that Maylu felt; it was the same worry she felt when MegaMan jacked in to stop World Three's plot of the week. It was the same worry that she felt when that fire broke out the day she met MegaMan. And though she wasn't awake for it, she knew it was the same worry that Maylu and MegaMan felt when she passed out after being used by the Devil Chip. Her eyebrows softened as she finally spoke "Maylu, believe it or not, I'm scared too. I'm terrified at the thought of walking right into the lair of the most powerful Navi on the net." Roll clenched her fist and continued "But I could never forgive myself if I didn't do everything in my power to bring MegaMan back home now that we have a chance. I care about him far too much to let that happen, and I know that if our roles were reversed he'd do the same for me."

Maylu wiped her eyes and smiled at her Navi, admiring her bravery and courage. _I've just been acting silly._ Smiling, she replied "Alright then Roll. I know you can save MegaMan. Just be careful, alright?"

Roll smirked, then went to do some last minute practice with her Roll Blast attacks. _With us entering PharaohMan's lair, there's no telling what we'll find. And I'm not leaving anything up to chance. Hang on Mega, I'm coming for you. PharaohMan will regret the day he ever tried to delete you…_

Roll would never forget the day she helped invade the SciLab network. As they expected, viruses attacked soon after entering the abandoned network. Roll took the opportunity to put her rage and grief to good use, her Roll blasts coming out with greater frequency and more power than she had ever thrown before. _I may not have a Program Advance, but nothing's gonna stop me from bringing Mega home!_

After clearing several more virus attacks, with the help of their newfound friend Rush, they came to the main network, where MegaMan's frame lay in wait. She buried the hope that rose in her heart, reminding herself that celebrations could wait until later. Still, she couldn't stop a smile from tugging at her lips as she saw MegaMan's body return, piece by piece. However, MegaMan wasn't waking up; he almost looked like a statue the way he was in stasis. _Mega? It's me, Roll._ Roll resisted the urge to run and hug him, trusting in Dr. Hikari's wisdom in letting MegaMan's data boot up.

And then all chaos broke loose; PharaohMan sprung his trap and cracked the ground, creating a chasm that swallowed the newly revived MegaMan. _NO! MEGA!_ Roll struggled as GutsMan held her back from trying to catch him. _I can't lose him again!_ "MEGAMAN!" the heartbroken Navi yelled as she saw her crush, no, her love fall to his second doom. It didn't end there; Roll cried out as a boulder almost crushed her, only stopped by GutsMan's sacrifice as Glyde and IceMan dragged her away. _No, not GutsMan too._

Never before had Roll felt so helpless, so useless. _This mission was a failure; MegaMan's gone, GutsMan's a cyber pancake, and PharaohMan has us all trapped._ She would have broken down and cried were it not for PharaohMan's taunting demand that the three of them surrender and bow to him. This was beyond the last straw for Roll; her fists clenched, her eyes filled with angry tears that refused to spill, and she gritted her teeth in rage. _How dare he; he deletes Mega, takes over Scilab, crushes GutsMan, and takes Mega away a second time, and he has the gall to demand our allegiance?!_

"We're not bowing…TO ANYONE!" Roll yelled in a rage that made even her friends tremble. _PharaohMan may be infinitely more powerful than me, but if I'm going down, I'm going down fighting!_ As she charged up a Roll Blast, her concentration was interrupted by the appearance of an army of BlasterMen and StoneMen. Grudgingly, Roll agreed with Glyde and IceMan to run and fight another day.

Roll would never forget the display of sheer power that PharaohMan displayed in deleting the army of Navis. As loathe as she was to admit it, PharaohMan was extremely powerful. Glyde was the only one to voice what everyone was feeling when he remarked "Maybe he's something special after all…"

Annoyed at the truth before them, Roll berated her comrade "Glyde, this is no time to start a fan club." But before they could get any further, an Anubis statue appeared, and Roll blacked out after watching Glyde get turned to stone.

Roll gasped for breath as she awoke; her body felt like it was asleep, and she looked down to see the vanishing remnants of stone disappearing. _Stone? But then, how did I get free?_ She looked around to see Glyde and IceMan free as well, and she was even more surprised to see that the desert and pyramid were gone. _SciLab's back to normal, but how? What happened to PharaohMan?_

It was then that she saw the light of a Navi jacking in, temporarily blinding her, before revealing a blue Navi that she knew all too well. The truth finally clicking in, the biggest smile graced her face, tears of happiness trickling down her face. _It's Mega! He's back!_

She and the others ran to him, yelling "MegaMan!" Before he could get three words out, Roll rushed ahead of them, and tackled him in the tightest hug she could give. "MegaMan! I'm so glad you're okay!"

She saw his blush out of the corner of her eye as he murmured a quiet thank you. Things went from good to great as GutsMan walked in on a crutch and Rush popped in through GutsMan. MegaMan wasn't quite sure what had happened, but decided to just go with it. He gasped as Roll leaned against him again, lightly nuzzling her head against his emblem as she embraced him. MegaMan smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist, enjoying the reunion for all it was worth. _It's good to be home…_

Only Roll and MegaMan remained; all the other Navis and their NetOps had gone home. Even Lan and Maylu had gone home, allowing MegaMan and Roll some time alone. MegaMan wrapped his hand around her own and lightly suggested "Why don't we go home? You can tell me what I missed."

Roll smiled and tightened her grip on MegaMan, walking forward as they made their way out of the SciLab network and back to Lan's PC. Eventually they approached the familiar blue door that both Navis had entered so many times. MegaMan's hand hovered over the handle, shaking with anticipation as a thousand thoughts entered his processor. _I haven't been inside since my deletion. Has anything changed? Do I still have a place here?_

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt Roll squeeze his hand. He gasped, turning to the pink Navi next to him who smiled radiantly at him. "It'll be fine, Mega. This is your home, and I'm right here for you"

 _She completely read me…_ MegaMan smiled, finally gathering the courage to turn the knob and open the door. MegaMan stared in wonder as he walked in. _The bed, the sofa, everything's untouched._

"Lan never even touched this room after your deletion. He was so distraught that he tried to convince himself that it was a bad dream." MegaMan turned to look at Roll walking up to him. "I think we all tried to deny it."

MegaMan looked down with guilt. _I affected them this much?_ "I'm sorry I caused you all so much pain. I didn't mean to make everyone upset…"

Roll laid a hand on his cheek, smiling at him, and touched by his concern. "Don't worry about it. You're home now, and that's all that matters." Roll removed her hand from his cheek and removed his helmet as he followed suit. Both took off their gloves and boots, sitting down on the bed. MegaMan told her about how ProtoMan saved him from the lava in the chasm, and about his new Style Change powers. _Looks like I owe ProtoMan a thank you. And MegaMan's even more powerful now…_

Her thought process was interrupted as Rush popped out of the ground and started licking MegaMan. The Blue Bomber laughed as he asked "So what's the story behind our new pet?"

Roll giggled before answering "His name's Rush. Lan's dad put him in my PET so that we could find you. He was very good, weren't you Rush?" Rush barked in an affirmative before scurrying away to the other end of the room. The two Navis giggled before Roll looked up at MegaMan and said "I'm glad you're alright, Mega."

MegaMan smiled in response. "Thanks for caring about me so much. I don't know what I did to deserve your friendship, Roll."

Roll laid her hand on his emblem, smiling and closing her eyes. _Should I tell him? Nah, not today. We're all a little drained. But soon…_ Roll drifted off as she slumped against the revived Navi. MegaMan, also drowsy from all the excitement, felt his eyes droop as he also slumped against Roll, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace as they fell down into the bed. Rush meanwhile quietly jumped back on the bed, resting at their feet.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Vacation and Fears

A/N: Well, we're finally picking up with Season Two of MegaMan NT Warrior. This is based around the unaired (at least in America) first episode in Jawaii. During the hiatus, I edited chapters 1-8; feel free to review the revised chapters and let me know what you think. Next is the review commentary. To spaces and aces, I'm glad you like them. Don't worry; I'm planning on doing oneshots for the entire Battle Network related anime series.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter Twelve: Vacation and Fears

"Hey Roll; can you toss me my suitcase?"

"You mean this blue box with your emblem on it?" Roll asked as she held up a light blue rectangular case with a handle at the top and a logo of MegaMan's emblem on the sides.

"Yeah; that's the one!"

Roll carried it over and kneeled next to him, handing it to the young Navi. "Here you go, Mega!"

MegaMan smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks Roll. I really appreciate you coming to help me pack." Not three days after PharaohMan's disappearance, Lan and MegaMan got a letter in the mail from the N1 Grand Prix Commission. Although not the grand prize winners, the team advanced enough that as the runner-ups, they won a trip around the world, with stops including Heaven City and Jawaii. Needless to say, Lan was very excited, and ran immediately up to his room to pack.

And that's what MegaMan was doing also; since Lan wouldn't have instant access to his PC, MegaMan was packing a few luxuries like an inflatable mattress and a couple sets of summer clothes in case he had the opportunity to look a little more festive while on vacation. Roll had offered to help him pack, and even though there wasn't that much to pack, he was still very grateful for her help.

Roll watched as MegaMan took the inflatable mattress that was in front of him and folded it until it resembled a small square, with blue stripes of varying shades on every side. That chore done, he put the object in the suitcase, following it up with a small inflator pump on top. "It must be really cool; going on vacation after all your adventures…" Roll peeped, trying to make small talk.

"I know; I can't remember the last time I had an extended period of time that I could just relax! Half of me still expects World Three to pull one of their stunts while I'm gone." MegaMan smirked as he replied to Roll. _Fat chance of that happening; Wily's base is blown up and those four buffoons are pretty much harmless on their own…_

"Careful Mega, or you'll jinx the whole vacation!" Roll jested, causing the both of them to giggle. As MegaMan packed the last of the summer clothes he had piled into the suitcase, Roll asked "Is that everything Mega?"

"Yep; that's everything!" MegaMan fiddled with the latch, closing the suitcase and locking the latch. He turned to his pink companion and said to her "Thanks Roll. I'm really gonna miss you on this vacation."

Roll wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him as she replied "I'll miss you too Mega! I wish I could be going with you, but you and Lan deserve this vacation. So just relax and have fun!" She grinned jokingly before finishing "And be sure to send us all postcards, okay?"

MegaMan returned her hug, replying "I will; promise." He squeezed her before letting go, the both of them standing up from the floor. The two Navis smiled at each other before Roll turned around and linked back to Maylu's PC. Immediately the pink Navi was greeted by her NetOp. "Hey Roll! I got a surprise for you, butonly if you can keep it secret from Lan and MegaMan for a while, okay?"

Roll raised her eyebrow in curiosity as she thought _Why would Maylu want me to keep a secret from MegaMan? Isn't she always the one encouraging me to "profess my undying love to MegaMan"?_ Roll shook her head for a moment and replied "As long as it's not too long, I guess. So what's the big secret?"

Maylu giggled and replied "Ok get this. Lan's first stop is Jawaii right? Well it's also the same island that Yai's summer house is at!"

"Okay, so Yai has a summer house in Jawaii; that's not exactly the biggest secret in the world Maylu. I could have found that out by googling."

Before Roll could ponder where this was leading to, Maylu continued "I'm not done! Anyways, what Lan doesn't know is that Yai invited all of us to stay at her vacation home, during the same timeframe as Lan's trip around the world! Do you know what this means?"

Roll sweat-dropped as she pondered what Maylu was getting at. _Ok, so Yai has a vacation house in Jawaii, and invited everyone to go during the same time as Lan's vacation. At the same time as Lan…_ Roll's eyes widened as the gears finally started turning in her head. "Maylu, are you saying that…"

"Uh-huh; we're gonna surprise Lan and MegaMan at their first stop of their vacation! Now remember, not a peep, Roll!"

As the viewing window closed, Roll stood there, stunned into disbelief at the turn of events. Finally, Roll squealed in delight like a giddy schoolgirl and ran to her closet, yelling to nobody in particular "I gotta go pack!"

 _Two days later_

 _Mega's gonna be so surprised when he sees us; this is so exciting!_

"Roll, you okay? You haven't stopped giggling to yourself since we got on the plane!" Maylu teased her Navi. _I'm excited to surprise them too, but it doesn't mean I have to hold back giggles the entire flight…_ Maylu thought dryly.

"Sorry Maylu; I just can't wait to see MegaMan again! I can't wait to see the look on his face!" To stop herself from giggling, Roll occupied herself by daydreaming about MegaMan's reaction, allowing her face to be overcome with blush.

Eventually she was brought out of her fantasies when Maylu declared "We're here, Roll!" Roll turned to face her NetOp as she approached a terminal. "So, I'm gonna jack you in so you can surprise MegaMan. I'll join you later to surprise Lan after I change."

Roll smiled at her NetOp, satisfied with this plan. "Whenever you're ready, Maylu!"

Unwinding the cord from the PET, Maylu whispered "Jack-in, Roll. POWER-UP!"

As soon as Roll appeared, she looked around to get a feel of her surroundings; sand surrounded her in every direction, with blue ocean waves just visible in the distance. Turning to her left, she saw the familiar blue armor that she knew so well. A smirk appearing on her face, she quietly snuck up until she was behind him, careful not to make a sound. She then took both of her hands and covered them around MegaMan's eyes, surprising the young Navi. She softly spoke in his ear "Guess who, Mega?"

 _Roll?_ Halfway towards transforming his arm into the MegaBuster, he halted and reversed the transformation. He grabbed her hands, gently removing them from his eyes, and turning around to see her gentle green eyes piercing his own. "Roll!" He smiled, his eyes shining like emeralds before he embraced her, causing the young girl to rest her hands on his back. A few moments passed before he released her, placing his gloved hands on her shoulders. "What are you doing in Jawaii, Roll?"

Before she could answer, they heard a joined call from behind them "Hey MEGAMAN!"

The two Navis turned around to see GutsMan and Glyde running up to them, with IceMan struggling to keep up. "GutsMan, Glyde, and IceMan? How?"

Roll giggled and revealed "Yai has a summer vacation house on Jawaii, so she came up with the idea for us to surprise you and Lan. Speaking of which…" All the Navis looked out of their screens to see Lan getting the same surprise from Maylu, Dex, Tory, and Yai. Roll turned back to MegaMan and started "Now then…"

She removed her gloves and stuck two fingers in her mouth, blowing a loud whistle. _I didn't know Roll could whistle…_ MegaMan stared as a black portal opened in front of them Roll's new pet Rush coming out with a beach bag in tow. After putting it down, Rush ran into MegaMan's arms, licking his face and causing the young boy to giggle. "I'm glad to see you too, Rush!"

Roll giggled as she opened the beach bag, grabbing among other things a pool floaty and a beach ball. "Let's get this beach party started, boys!"

"ALRIGHT!" All the Navis except for IceMan pumped their fists into the air, causing Roll to tilt her head to the side, closing her eyes and smiling. _At last; no World Three, no Dr. Wily, just all of us having a good time!_

It wasn't long before both the Navis and their NetOps were playing mirroring games of "catch-the-beach-ball". To everyone's surprise, Maysa also appeared riding a robotic shark, and soon after left with Lan, Dex, and Tory to explore the surrounding ocean. Before they left, Yai told a story about a Ghost Ship, causing everyone to laugh, including most of the Navis. Roll wiped her forehead before commenting "Ghost Ship, what a story, huh Mega?" When no response came, she turned in his direction to see the young boy practically frozen in place, his stance unnaturally stiff. She placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around rather swiftly. "You okay, Mega?"

MegaMan smiled and shook his head, saying "I'm fine. Come on Roll; let's go build a sand castle!"

He ran off to an empty spot on the beach several feet away, kneeling down to assemble a pile of sand. Though concerned, Roll followed him, with Rush following closely behind her with a pink pail in his mouth.

It was sometime later that the other Navis had gone to relax in their PETs, leaving MegaMan and Roll alone on the beach. Both had taken their gloves and boots off, letting the warm sand tickle their feet. They smiled at each other, enjoying the moment in silence. Suddenly, the ground started to rumble, causing the two Navis to fall onto each other. They watched as the beach disintegrated into the standard cyber environment that reminded them of the DenTech City network. "What he heck is going on out there?" Mega wondered, starting to get worried.

After putting their boots and gloves back on, MegaMan and Roll opened a viewing window to see what had happened; Maylu had grabbed all of the PETs and gathered hem onto Yai's submarine, where Lan and Dex lay, waking up. "What is going on out there?" MegaMan wondered aloud. Lan hastily explained how Tory and Maysa were taken in by a Ghost Ship. _G…Ghost Ship?_

Roll noticed him freeze up again, and start to move out of view. _Mega?_ She thought back to earlier when something similar happened, and MegaMan smiled and changed the subject. Roll frowned; they were close enough that she knew when MegaMan faked a smile. She let it pass last time, but not this time. As the group started to board the ship, she walked in front of him and closed the viewing window. "Mega? Mega, what's wrong?"

The Blue Bomber turned to his friend and tried to reassure her "It…it's nothing, Roll." Opening up the viewing window again, he continued "Hey look; it looks like our NetOps are splitting into groups. I have to go back to Lan."

Before she could issue any kind of response, he had already retreated back to the main network of Lan's PET. Roll sighed and raised a hand to her helmet before retreating to Maylu's PET. _What are you hiding, Mega?_

As it turned out, it hadn't been a Ghost Ship at all; a virus had merely taken over the ship's AI computer and made it seem like ghosts had taken over the vessel. Everyone went back to playing on the beach, enjoying their stay on Jawaii.

Except that Roll couldn't get a thought out of her head. _Both times when somebody mentioned the phrase Ghost Ship, Mega almost froze up. But why…_ Her eyes widened as she realized the answer. _I just need one last piece of evidence to confirm my theory…_ When the other Navis had left MegaMan, she crept up behind him, careful not to make a sound, until she was directly behind him. She leaned forward and whispered "Boo."

MegaMan jumped a little and gave a brief yelp in surprise, landing on his behind as Roll circled around until she was in his line of vision. "I thought something was up today. Both the times somebody mentioned the phrase "Ghost Ship", you practically froze up. And whenever I would ask what was wrong, you'd give a smile, a fake smile might I add, and change the subject."

MegaMan looked away; she was getting very close to the truth and he didn't like that. However, she kneeled in front of the boy and continued "I've spent a lot of time trying to rattle my head for an answer, and I've finally found it." She leaned closer to him until their faces were barely an inch away, their green eyes staring into each other before finishing "You're afraid of ghosts, aren't you?"

Despite the fact that he was cornered, and MegaMan knew it, he tried one last time to stand up and deny it. "Roll, I…I'm not afraid of…"

Before he could finish, what appeared to be a shimmering white ghost appeared in front of them, moaning before the Blue Bomber. MegaMan screamed and jumped into Roll's arms, burying his head into her emblem rather forcefully and causing his helmet to be dislodged from his head. Roll blushed before turning to the "ghost". A hand then pulled at the white material from underneath and revealed it to be a laughing GutsMan, holding what looked like a white bedsheet.

Roll closed her eyes as her lips formed a scowl at GutsMan, and performed a Roll Blast, sending the Navi flying. "NOT FUNNY, GUTSMAN!" She turned back to the Navi who had jumped in her arms, whimpering and shedding tears as he hid in her emblem. Roll sat down and caressed his blue hair. "Shh, it's ok Mega. It wasn't a ghost; it was just GutsMan in a bedsheet trying to play a practical joke."

MegaMan stopped crying, but sniffled as he murmured just loud enough for Roll to hear "I admit it; I'm afraid of ghosts. And I didn't tell you because…" Roll rubbed his back in comfort before he finished "because I thought that if you knew, you'd think I was weaker or pathetic."

Roll sat there in disbelief as she listened to MegaMan's revelation. _How could he have drawn that conclusion after everything we've been through together?_ She patted his cheek as she coached "Mega? Mega, look at me. Look at me, please."

Reluctantly, MegaMan raised his head from the perceived sanctuary of her emblem and looked at her face, though his eyes still avoided her own. "Mega, it doesn't matter to me that you're afraid of ghosts. We're programmed from human behavior, which means that we're all afraid of something. And I'm not about to judge you on your fears." She embraced him, feeling the young boy return her comforting gesture with equal fervor.

As he rested his head on her shoulder, Roll looked down at MegaMan; he didn't look scared like he did before, but he didn't show a smile either. _We'll have to fix that…_

A playful grin plastered itself onto her face as she lowered her arms down his sides and lightly stroked her fingers up his torso. The results were instantaneous; MegaMan's lips tugged upwards as he giggled. "Roolll…haha, I'm ticklish!" He tried to push her hands off of his body.

Roll giggled and replied "Good; it makes getting you to smile easier. They say laughter is the best medicine after all!" With that, her head ribbons wrapped themselves around his hands, restraining them so they couldn't interfere.

She then resumed, her fingers speeding around his belly. "Hahaha! Coome on, Roll, this is haha torture!"

Roll rolled her eyes as the ticklish boy thrashed and rolled about, trying in vain to escape her grasp. As she continued MegaMan's tickle session, she took note with glee how brightly MegaMan was smiling. _It's good to have Mega back!_


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Returning Home

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. This is probably the most filler chapter thus far, kind of recapping episodes 2-5 of NT Warrior season 2, and taking place just after episode 6.

Lastly, a shoutout to SofiaPufferGirl: thank you for the review. It is very much appreciated, and I hope you like the future chapters I have planned.

Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen: Returning Home

"Well, it sure has been an interesting few days, huh?" MegaMan looked at the pink-armored girl in front of him. He wasn't really looking forward to saying goodbye, even if it was only for a week and a half.

Roll giggled as she thought back to the events of the previous day; a new virtual singer named Aki had just been unveiled, and all of the girls including Maylu had entered an "Aki imitation" contest. Unfortunately, Aki had been infected with a virus, causing her to inadvertently kidnap all the contestants. This led to the embarrassing sight of seeing Lan, Tory, and especially Dex crossdressing to find where the girls were. "I know! I don't think I've ever seen GutsMan so embarrassed of Dex in my life!"

Luckily, with the help of MegaMan's style change powers, Aki was cured and the contest went as planned. Whilst Lan and MegaMan would have been perfectly content to continue vacationing on Jawaii with their friends, their plane to Heaven City was scheduled to leave tomorrow, so the two Navis opted to say their goodbyes tonight rather than be awake early in the morning. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, surprising the young Navi with his initiative. "I'm gonna miss you, Roll…"

Roll smiled as she felt his head lay on her shoulder and his hand rise to stroke her ponytail. She returned the embrace with one arm, while the other went to gently stroke his blue hair. "I'll miss you too, Mega. But I'm also glad that we got to see you and Lan for a couple of days during your vacation." She released him, holding the young boy at arms' length. "Just focus on having fun during your vacation, alright?"

MegaMan beamed at the pink Navi as he grasped her hand. "Deal! And I'll tell you all about it when I get back to DenTech City!"

"I'm looking forward to it!" Roll turned around shyly and sauntered to the door back to Maylu's PET. Before exiting, she turned around and winked at him. "Good night, Mega!"

As the door closed, MegaMan smiled and turned to the inflated mattress in front of him. "Sweet dreams, Roll." He collapsed in front of the mattress, entering sleep mode by his own free will.

 _A week later_

Maylu, Yai, Dex, and Tory were sunbathing on the Ayano Cruise Ship off the cost of Jawaii. Even without Lan, the vacation had been a blast. They had even been treated to a fire dancing performance courtesy of Mr. Match and TorchMan, who almost broke down after Maylu taunted them that Lan was no longer on Jawaii. Roll especially enjoyed it, clapping from the confines of Maylu's PET. _Dance, Candlehead, Dance! After what you did to me and MegaMan during the N1 Grand Prix, this is perfect payback!_

Roll giggled at the memory, but was interrupted by an out of the blue suggestion by Yai. "Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we pop by Lan at his last stop?"

When Dex asked why, Yai responded that it would be fun to stop by Namesty. Just as Roll was getting excited, Maylu interjected that Namesty was too far from Jawaii for them to catch up with Lan. Roll grumbled, though only momentarily as Yai boasted "Don't worry; my family has a much faster ship!"

Maylu looked at the billionaire, confused. "What kind of ship?"

Before Yai could respond, Roll piped "Just say yes, Maylu. It'd be fun to see Lan again. Plus I'm sure whatever ship Yai has is much more luxurious than whatever dinky plane the commission puts Lan on."

Maylu smirked, thinking that Roll had an ulterior motive for agreeing with Yai. Luckily for Roll, Maylu never brought it up, continuing "Alright Roll; let's just all get changed and then we'll get on Yai's super-fast ship!"

Roll beamed and retreated back to the confines of the PET. Within half an hour, the group was blasting off in a pink rocket, with all the NetOps except Yai screaming as though they were on a roller coaster. "This is what I do for you so you can see your boyfriend, Roll!"

For once, Roll didn't try to deny it, the extreme speed of the rocket shaking the environment of the PET. _The things I do just to see you, Mega…_

 _An hour later_

All the passengers, human and Navi alike had gotten accustomed to the high speed of the Ayano Rocket. All that was left was for Yai's spy satellite to track MegaMan's data signature. Just as Roll was starting to get bored, an image came up on the screen, but it wasn't of MegaMan relaxing. Instead, MegaMan seemed to be surrounded by fire in some kind of enclosed space. _MEGA!_

Maylu was equally startled as she exclaimed "What's wrong with him?!"

Before Roll could figure out what was going on, all of the passengers had ejected into tank drills and were burrowing underground. Roll focused on centering herself, so that she would be at top notch when she arrived to rescue MegaMan. _Hang on Mega; I'm coming for you!_

At last, to World Three's and Lan's surprise, the tanks found their way into Yahoot's secret chamber, with Maylu, Dex, Yai, and Tory getting out. All four friends immediately jacked in their Navis, shocking the four Navis of World Three. Roll glared at her longtime nemeses and spotted what looked like a burning pot in the middle of the arena. _Them again. So that's what happened to Mega…_ She then turned to her comrades and yelled "Alright guys; let's get MegaMan out of there!"

Without even taking the time to nod, all four Navis attacked the hot pot, causing it to explode and reveal an unconscious MegaMan in the middle of a crater. Roll was the first to rush over as she yelled "MEGAMAN!" _No, not again!_

The Blue Bomber started to come to at the sound of her voice. _R…Roll?_ His vision was blurry as he heard the voices of Glyde and IceMan, with GutsMan's thunderous steps following closely behind. She sighed with relief before spotting World Three's combo attack, shouting "Hey guys, incoming!" As MegaMan became more aware of his surroundings, the other Navis formed a pyramid-like barrier, stopping World Three's team attack. As their NetOps bantered with World Three, MegaMan finally got on one knee, but as soon as he tried to stand, a strange sensation pulsated from his core. "Something's happening to me…"

Roll glanced over to the Blue Bomber with concern. _Mega…_ After a command from Lan, MegaMan became surrounded by a yellow light, blinding her. "MegaMan!"

When the light faded, MegaMan's armor became colored in a bright yellow, stunning the pink Navi. _So this is a style change…_ She watched as Lan and Tory connected PETs, transforming IceMan into data and fusing with MegaMan, who then proceeded to create an amazing ice attack that froze all four World Three Navis in ice towers. _Such power…_

Unfortunately there was no time for celebration; Yahoot's curry machine started to explode. All five friends jacked their Navis out and were just barely rescued by Yai's rocket, causing all five NetOps and their Navis to become dizzy. Once everyone had become centered again, Yai's maid drove the rocket back to DenTech City. Roll walked up to the Blue Bomber and grasped his hand. Smiling sweetly, she said warmly "Welcome home, Mega."

MegaMan smiled and said "It's good to be home, Roll."

 _Later that evening_

MegaMan stood at the familiar pink door leading to Maylu's PC and knocked. He heard a yawn coming from the other side as the door opened to reveal a tired Roll in a pink shimmering nightgown, her eyes half-closed as she fought the drowsiness that tried to claim her. Though when she saw the blue Navi in front of her, she instantly woke up. "Mega! What brings you here?"

The Blue Bomber smiled and replied "I was hoping we could talk for a bit. Is this a bad time?"

Roll instantly shook her head. "Nope; Maylu just went to sleep, so as long as we're not too loud it's fine. Come on in…" She stood to the side as MegaMan walked inside. He saw a red and blue colored chair next to the bed and sat in it, with Roll opting to sit on her bed. "So, what's on your mind, Mega?"

"Well, I was hoping that I could tell you how the rest of my vacation went; all that craziness with Yahoot kind of made me too tired to think about telling stories before…" MegaMan explained.

Roll giggled as she replied "I know; I bet Lan was exhausted when he got home. How is he, by the way?"

"Oh, Lan's out like a light. Apparently Mrs. Hikari decided to make him some curry to welcome him home, and after Lan's last curry experience, he almost barfed by just looking at it."

Roll giggled, trying to imagine the sight of Lan getting nauseous from looking at food. A thought came to her mind and she asked "So what did happen back there? I know that Lan said he was done eating curry for a while…"

"Well it's a long story like he said, but the gist of it is that the last stop on the vacation included a free challenge to eat like a hundred different dishes of curry. Or something like that; I lost count at thirteen…" MegaMan scratched the back of his neck and chuckled.

"Wow Mega; that sure was some vacation stop…"

"Yeah, and that wasn't even the craziest one!"

That last sentence caught Roll's interest as she leaned forward slightly, asking "Well if that's the case, then tell me all about your vacation Mega. Start with what happened after you left Jawaii."

MegaMan took a thinking pose and started "As I recall, we ran into Chaud at the airport in Heaven City. He warned us about the corrupt mayor, but as soon as Lan caught the mayor's eye, Lan got caught up in the fame of being celebrated and left my PET in his backpack. It ended up getting stolen…"

Roll gasped in shock as MegaMan revealed how he had been "kidnapped". Before she could fuss over him, he continued "Eventually Lan caught up with the thieves and confronted their leader Raoul. Raoul convinced his gang to return the PET and we had a brief netbattle with his Navi ThunderMan before the mayor flooded the downtown network with viruses. After we defeated the viruses, the mayor was arrested and we got on our next flight…"

"That must have been scary Mega; are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine Roll, I wasn't scared. I was just irritated with Lan for leaving me in his backpack like that…"

Before he realized what was happening, Roll pulled him into a hug, making the young boy feel warm. "You have every right to be irritated; I'd be angrier if Maylu did that to me…"

Reluctantly, MegaMan grabbed her hands and released the two of them from her embrace. "I'm okay, Roll; Lan and I made up and everything's fine."

Roll calmed down and said "Alright, so what happened next?"

MegaMan took a deep breath and continued "Alright, so after that Lan and I went to Brand City where he saw a purse that his mom wanted, so we played a netbattling game with the purse as a prize."

"Aww, that's so sweet of Lan!"

MegaMan chuckled. "Yeah; it was. Turns out the whole game was a trap though; as soon as we beat it, I was transported back to the first Level. The sponsor Mrs. Millionaire never wanted me to leave her prison of a game."

Roll's fists clenched as her temper rose, clearly angered at the thought of some rich woman thinking she could own MegaMan. _Why that possessive sleazy…_ The Blue Bomber placed his hand atop her fist, surprising the young girl and calmed her down again. "As it so happened, Chaud was trying to work out a business deal with Mrs. Millionaire, and ProtoMan rescued us and showed us the way out. We then defeated Mrs. Millionaire's NetNavi SnakeMan and left."

"Wow; some game. Did Lan ever get his prize?"

"Sadly no; Lan and I bolted out as soon as I was jacked out. However, Mrs. Hikari called afterwards and told us that Dr. Hikari mailed her one of those purses. You should have seen the expression on Lan's face."

Roll giggled before answering "I can imagine. So what next, Mega?"

"Well, that stop at Namesty wasn't the only time I battled World Three during the vacation. As it turned out, our bus broke down at what happened to be Count Zap's mother's mansion. Lan and I were trapped in a NetBattle with Count Zap and ElecMan. But there was a twist; each time one of us took damage, the NetOp would receive an electric shock." MegaMan looked down, remembering how worried he had been. "I'd never been that scared for Lan's life since that match with TorchMan at the Grand Prix…"

He felt his helmet being removed, and a hand caressing through his spiky blue hair. He looked up, seeing Roll flash a comforting smile his way. "But you're both okay; everything's alright and everyone's home safe."

MegaMan smiled gratefully and finished "Anyways, we won and went on the plane to Namesty and you know the rest…"

"So much for a relaxing vacation, huh Mega?" The pink Navi looked at her young companion in awe.

"Yeah…Oh, that reminds me…" He snapped his fingers and a blue box with a pink bow appeared in his hands. "I got you a souvenir, but with all that curry craziness I forgot to get it to you before…"

Roll was touched at MegaMan's thoughtfulness as she gently took the box from him. Unlike when she had given him something, Roll tore right into the wrapping paper, causing MegaMan to sweatdrop. When she took of the lid and grabbed inside, she was amazed as she took out what looked like a piece of wallpaper that featured an emblem. It featured a red outline in the shape of a heart with pink waves on the outside, and inside was part of MegaMan's emblem design. "Mega, this is…"

"It's a combination of our emblems. I thought you might like an extra decoration. And more importantly…" He reached forward and grabbed her hands, causing the two to blush. "You're my best friend, Roll. I don't know where I would be without your friendship; this is just one small way I can say thank you."

Tears of joy slid down her face as she dropped the paper and box and wrapped around him in a tight embrace, squeezing him for all he was worth. "I'll always be there for you, Mega. Promise."

Mega smiled before standing up, replying. "I appreciate that. I hate to cut and run, but I should get back to Lan before he wakes up. See you later, Roll?"

Roll nodded, replying "You can count on it. See you tomorrow, Mega!"

MegaMan smiled before vanishing out the door, leaving the giddy Navi to swoon before collapsing on her bed, smiling and dreaming.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Grave Concerns

A/N: This episode flashes back to Episodes 7-8 of Season 2 of MegaMan NT Warrior, with the main story taking place after episode 8.

Next, shoutouts to **Fan of MegaMan** and **Angel**. I'm glad you like the fic so far, and yes, this chapter is based off the NetCity episodes. I hope everyone enjoys it!

Chapter Fourteen: Grave Concerns

Pink and Blue boots softly parted the grass beneath them as their respective Navis walked through the park in NetCity. Roll looked at MegaMan as the artificial moonlight highlighted his features. Roll flashed back to when she had taken MegaMan to NetCity on their "first date."

 _Five Days Ago_

"Roll. Roolll…"

The pink Navi groaned as she lifted her head from the pillow, opening a viewing window to see her NetOp looking at her. _I was having a really good dream, Maylu._ She rubbed the sleep out of her eye with her fist as she looked at the clock. "Maylu, it's half past six in the morning. Why are you up so early?"

Maylu smiled, amused at her Navi's grogginess. "Well…I just thought you would want to be the first Navi to show MegaMan around NetCity!"

THAT woke Roll up; throwing the sheets off of the bed, she snapped her fingers. A pink swirl enveloped her, leaving Roll in her normal pink and black battle suit when it dissipated. Awake and alert, she exclaimed "Well what are we waiting for? I'll link over to Lan's PC and get MegaMan; we'll meet you over there." Before Maylu could reply, Roll vanished, the viewing window automatically closing. Maylu shook her head and chuckled at her Navi's enthusiasm before grabbing her helmet and scooter out of the closet, heading down the stairs and making the short zip across the street to the Hikari residence.

Meanwhile, Roll stood in front of the familiar blue door that she had opened so many times. She gingerly turned the knob and slid through the crack before quietly closing it behind her. Looking around, her eyes sparkled when she saw her target; the blue Navi lay asleep, quietly snoring while his eyes and blue hair peeked out from under the blankets. Had Roll not been so enthusiastic about getting MegaMan out of bed, she would have found his appearance to be adorable.

Roll walked over to where his head lay and spoke into his exposed ear "Meegaaa…wake up, Mega." However, all Roll got was a groan and a turn to the side. Roll started to puff out her cheeks in a pout when she heard the snoozing Navi murmur "Five more minutes, mommy. I don't wanna go see the doctor today…"

Roll raised her eyebrows in curiosity, wondering what kind of crazy dream MegaMan's head had concocted. _Why would Mega need to go to a doctor? We only just got a hospital in NetCity..._ Shaking her head and deciding to ponder the question later, she looked at the Navi in front of her. "What to do, what to do…"She then recalled a story Maylu told her abouthow she would wake up Lan whenever she spent Christmas Day with the Hikaris as a child. _Well, desperate times call for desperate measures…_ She leaped from her spot on the floor to the other end of the bed, bouncing up and down while yelling "MEGA WAKE UP!"

"AAHGH!" MegaMan screamed as Roll bounced a little too hard, catapulting the boy across the room and onto the floor. Rubbing his head, he looked at the familiar Navi walking towards him. "R…Roll?!"

Roll simply smiled at him, confusing the groggy Navi even more. "Great; you're finally awake! Put your helmet on, quickly! We've got a big day ahead of us!"

 _What…what just happened?_ He looked at the clock on the wall, noting the time displayed. _It's not even 7 AM yet, and we're on summer vacation. So why…_ His gaze turned to Roll who had her eyes closed, smiling and absent-mindedly humming a tune. MegaMan smiled and snapped his fingers, a blue helmet appearing in his hands. _Well, if it makes Roll happy, then…_

He secured the helmet over his head, sensing Maylu plug the PET into Lan's PC. Hearing Maylu's declaration, Roll squealed "Come on, Mega. Let's get this show on the road!"

MegaMan yelped as the two of them vanished, reforming in a giant cyber tunnel.

She looked at the expression on MegaMan's face as he gazed at the scanners when Lan signed him in. Amused, Roll thought to herself _If you're this amazed at the scanners, I can't even imagine what the look on your face will be once we finally get to where we're going!_

Finally, they reformed on a balcony overlooking the skyscrapers of NetCity. Roll leaned on his shoulder and the blue Navi exclaimed "Whoa I can't believe it!"

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?!" Roll looked and saw his emerald eyes glittering with wonder, making her feel warm inside. She grabbed his hand and lightly tugged on him, causing MegaMan to yelp in surprise. "Come on, slowpoke! The real fun's inside the city!"

 _End Flashback_

Roll remembered fondly how that sparkle remained in his eyes as they toured NetCity together. Whether it was discovering the invisible walkways, NumberMan's online Chip Shop, the new battle arena that she knew would become the gang's new favorite hangout outside of class, or watching him play literally every game at the arcade, that look of amazement and wonder never left his eyes.

Now, walking through NetCity's park, she looked up at her companion and secret crush. That sparkle in his eyes was no longer there. It would have been more accurate to say that his green irises held a hint of restrained gloom. Hidden though it may have been; Roll had the unique gift of being able to see through MegaMan's attempts to mask his true feelings.

Sighing to herself, the gloom started to get to the young girl as well. _This isn't any fun anymore…_ She grasped his other hand and walked until she was just in front of him. "Come on…"

That was all that passed Roll's lips before she linked them out of NetCity and back to Lan's PC. His mind finally catching up with his body, MegaMan sputtered "Roll, what…what's going on? Why did you bring us back here?"

Roll sighed before sitting the two of them on the blue sofa and simply saying "You weren't having fun, Mega."

"Wha…What are you talking about, Roll? You were showing me through NetCity's new park. I was totally having fun!"

Roll simply looked at him with that expression that just said _Liar Liar, Pants on Fire._ MegaMan sweatdropped as he knew that Roll had caught him in his lie. Roll sighed and finally replied "I think you were trying to have fun. But something's bothering you, Mega." She grasped his hand in her own before continuing "When we came to NetCity together for the first time, your eyes sparkled with wonder. Now your eyes just look gloomy, and you can't be having fun when you're gloomy." Before MegaMan could respond, Roll grasped his other hand and held them so they were halfway between their bodies. "What's wrong, Mega?"

MegaMan reluctantly released his hands from Roll's grasp, making her watch with concern as he removed his helmet before murmuring "Grave."

It was just one word, and barely audible at that, but Roll understood everything from that one word. She placed her hand on his neck as she replied "You're concerned about Grave, right?"

MegaMan nodded as they remembered the events that led to Grave's rise…

 _Five Days Ago_

Roll had just finished giving MegaMan the tour of NetCity and had remarked about how Lan would have more trouble going to school now, when they received an urgent message from Glyde that Yai was locked and passed in the shower. Roll and MegaMan linked to the Cyber Tunnel leading to the Ayano network and saw Glyde passed out.

Rushing to help him up, Glyde murmured "Something in the ventilation system…" before passing out again.

As was standard for the Blue Bomber, MegaMan pledged "Don't worry Glyde, I'm right on it!" He turned to Roll and requested "Roll, you need to take care of Glyde and take him someplace safe!"

She nodded as she linked out into NetCity. Spotting the hospital in the distance, she carried Glyde in her arms and ran to the entrance, watching as the medics took Glyde onto a stretcher.

It was sometime later that Glyde awoke, looking up to see Roll staring down at him, a relieved smile on her face. "Glyde! Thank goodness you're okay!"

Glyde cringed as Roll hugged him, taking a moment to reply. "You're…you're not going to drain my energy again, are you Miss Roll?"

Roll puffed her cheeks in irritation as she let go of the injured Navi. "I said I was sorry!" Glyde laughed, causing Roll to puff her cheeks even more. _He teased me!_

It was some time after Glyde stopped chuckling that he looked at Roll and said "You're worried about MegaMan, aren't you?"

Roll relaxed her cheeks as she replied "It's so soon after World Three, and we don't know if Yai's assailant is acting alone or is part of something larger. If we have another World Three on our hands, then I have every reason to be worried." Memories flooded through her head of MegaMan getting deleted as she remembered how much MegaMan suffered the last time World Three came to power.

Glyde smiled and sat up, replying "Well then; what do you say we do something about it?"

Roll looked at him in shock. "Glyde, you need to rest! You only just recovered!"

Glyde shook his head as he replied "Nonsense; I'm as fit as a fiddle. Besides…" He looked up as he saw the residents of the hospital vacating the building. "Something tells me that this place may need our help. Now come on Miss Roll; let's see how MegaMan and Miss Yai are doing."

Roll stood there in shock before yelling "Glyde, wait up!" She ran after him, taking his hand and linking them to Yai's PET.

 _End Flashback_

As it happened, MegaMan encountered the Navi responsible, a Navi called AirMan who forced MegaMan to go into HeatGuts Style and delete him. But as Roll feared, AirMan and his NetOp weren't acting alone; they were just the grunts of a new organization calling itself Grave. They then targeted NetCity itself, flooding it with viruses before MegaMan, Roll, and Glyde infiltrated the factory. With the help of SharkMan, they incinerated the factory after running into an assassin Navi called ShadowMan.

Though they had defeated Grave, the three Navis were still haunted by the mysterious voice of yet another Grave operative. "A GRAVE MISTAKE!"

Roll shook her head as she looked at the young boy to her left, who looked as though he was struggling just to keep everything together. "Mega?"

It took a few more repetitions of his name before he finally answered "I thought we were done with this. I thought World Three was the end of this nonsense."

Roll looked sadly at him before rubbing her hand on his leg. "Hey, we'll get through this, Mega." Noting his brief smile before returning to a frown, Roll spoke "That's not the only thing that's bothering you, right?"

MegaMan sighed as he reflected on his battle with AirMan. "I…I deleted AirMan…"

"You mean the Navi who attacked Yai?"

MegaMan nodded. "PharaohMan was completely rogue. StoneMan and BlasterMan were copies created by Dr. Wily; they had no soul. But AirMan…sure he was evil, but he was still a Navi, a Navi that had a NetOp and was willing to fight for him." MegaMan took a deep breath before finishing "AirMan was the first Navi that I consciously deleted. All the others, TorchMan, ElecMan, WackoMan, I didn't delete them; merely logged them out. What right did I have to delete AirMan?"

Roll looked sadly at him before removing her gloves and embracing the guilt-ridden boy, resting his head on her shoulder. She heard and felt him sniffle as tears escaped him, trailing down her shoulder. Rubbing his back with one hand and caressing his gentle blue hair in the other, she let him cry into her before finally speaking "Mega. You don't need to feel guilty about this. Yes, AirMan had a NetOp. Yes, AirMan had a soul. But, both AirMan and his NetOp made their choices when they joined Grave and attacked Yai. And you didn't go in there to delete AirMan; you went in to save Yai. Your head and your heart were in the right place today Mega; AirMan was the only one in the wrong today."

MegaMan stopped sniffling and smiled before letting his eyes droop. Roll gave an amused smile when she felt his snore against her shoulder. Carrying him bridal-style, she set him down on his bed, spreading the blankets over him before leaning down to kiss his forehead. _See you soon, Mega._ She linked out to Maylu's PC, briefly opening a viewing window to see Maylu had gone to bed. Briefly changing her outfit to the pink nightgown, she sauntered over to the bed and lay down on her back. Before letting her eyes droop closed, she thought _I promise you Mega, I'll be right by your side to take down Grave!_


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Roasting Feelings

A/N: This chapter is based off of the 10th episode of season 2 of MegaMan NT Warrior. Before we begin, shoutouts to **Angel** and **Hi i'm LuLu**. I'm grateful for your reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the others.

Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen: Roasting Feelings

"Hey Mega, can you give me a hand with this tent?"

"Sure, be right there Roll!" MegaMan walked over and grabbed the large mass of pink fabric that would be Roll's tent tomorrow. The whole gang had opted to go camping in Okuden Valley this weekend, and naturally the other Navis were coming along for the ride. MegaMan smiled at seeing the grin on Roll's face; Roll had evidently never been camping before, so the prospect of a new adventure almost made her jump for joy.

Shaking his head in amusement, MegaMan got to work in trying to find the creases in the fabric. Growing frustrated at his lack of progress, MegaMan grit his teeth as his hands scanned over the fabric with less and less attention to detail. Growing worried at his growing irritation, Roll started rubbing the fabric and exclaiming "Here, let me help." Both Navis scanned through the fabric until both of their fingers were pressing down on something. Hearing gears whirl, Roll said "That can't be good."

All of a sudden, the tent propped itself up, standing on one of the corners and causing it to fall right on top of the two Navis. Yelling before being muffled by the now still tent, they dug their heads out from under the tent after a bit of struggling. They looked at each other and laughed at the hilarity of their predicament. After they had helped each other up, Roll walked around to the other side of the tent and kneeled down. She yelled "Hey Mega; look at this!"

Kneeling down next to her, he watched as she pointed out "Look here; there are two buttons for this tent; one says "pack", the other says "inflate"".

MegaMan looked down and sure enough, a pair of red and green buttons were on the side of the tent, with the green one saying "inflate", and the red one saying "pack". He looked at Roll and asked "So, there was no point to me trying to fold that blasted piece of fabric?"

Roll looked at him apologetically; when she asked him to help her pack, she didn't know it would be a waste of his time. "...Sorry, Mega."

MegaMan smiled as he grasped her chin and leveled her head so that they were looking at each other. "No big deal, I suppose." He sat down, with Roll following suit next to him. Trying to stir up small talk, he spoke "So, you've really never been camping before?"

Roll shook her head and replied "Nope; Maylu's mom died at a young age and her father basically abandoned her, so I had to help raise her while she took care of herself. There was no time or money for a luxury like camping." A thought came to her as she spoke "Come to think of it, you've never been camping before either, right? I mean, you're technically younger than I am, so..."

MegaMan smiled as he replied "No, I haven't." Before he knew it he found his mind wandering…

 _A young boy with brown hair danced around his parents and sibling, exclaiming "Let's get moving guys; the sun's not gonna stay up forever!"_

 _As the two parents chuckled, the boy just stopped, clutching his chest as a pressure formed in his heart. The two parents rushed over as he blacked out._

 _Then, a white room with beeping machines appeared as the boy woke up. He saw worried expressions, men in coats, saying things he didn't understand._

" _Mega...Mega..."_

The young Nave came out of his daydream as he saw a pink hand wave in front of him. "Huh?"

Roll grabbed his shoulders as she stared at him, worried. "You okay? You were being really quiet,and I was waving my hand right in front of you for like two whole minutes before you came to."

MegaMan smiled at her and replied "I'm fine; just was daydreaming. Anyways..." He got up and finished "I should see if there's anything else I should pack. I'll meet you in your PET after we get off the bus, okay?"

"...Okay." Roll was skeptical that MegaMan was alright, but whatever happened didn't seem serious. _He can tell me when he's ready…_ "See you tomorrow, Mega!"

MegaMan gave a thumbs up before vanishing into data bits. When he got back to his room, he slumped against the wall, holding his forehead in his hands as he tried to relax.

 _The Next Day_

Roll sighed as she listened to Sal tell everyone all about the different flowers around Okuden Valley. She was currently trying in vain to enjoy Sal's explanation as well as the valley itself, but her mind was elsewhere. _Where is he? He said we'd meet up after the others got off the bus._

Her answer came when the others noticed that Lan wasn't with them. She heard Yai spot him through her binoculars, exclaiming "AH! He snuck away to eat!"

 _So he was SO HUNGRY that he couldn't even say hello before chowing down?!_ Roll closed her eyes in irritation

Her NetOp was equally annoyed, exclaiming "Great, Lan. Way to keep up! Does he expect us to wait for him?" She brought out her PET and ordered "Hey Roll; tell piggyboy we're moving on without him!"

 _And give that MegaPiggy a piece of my mind!_ Saluting Maylu, she responded before disappearing in a swirl of data bits "I gotcha!" Traveling through the wireless connection, she reappeared in Lan's PET, seeing MegaMan with his back turned and catching words like "barbecue" and "stomachache". Wasting no time in determining what he was talking about, she shoved the blue Navi to the ground and scolded "SO...nice private picnic you two are having." She glared at MegaMan before closing her eyes and huffing "Well go ahead; be that way. Good luck finding us when you're done!"

She ignored MegaMan's pointing out that he wasn't eating anything, and stared with pity at Lan's excuse that he was testing them for food poisoning. Before she knew it, Lan was hanging from a gondola, the flash of movement rocking the PET. "MegaMan, control your NetOp!" Roll yelled at the still sitting MegaMan.

"I'm trying..." MegaMan grumbled as he got up. Opening up a viewing window, his eyes widened at that was right in front of him. "Lan, HEY LAN!" But it was too late; Lan had hit a tree and was falling down. Before he hit the ground, Roll disappeared back to her own PET, causing the blue Navi to fall to his knees and exclaim "no, wait! Take Me With You!"

As the two hit the ground and fell on their backs, Roll smirked from the safety of her PET. _Karma..._ she thought before turning her heel and walking away to start unfolding her own tent.

And bad luck, or karma as Roll put it, would continue to hit the netbattling duo. When the barbeque started, Lan burned himself on the metal shishkabob. And when a wild boar stumbled on their lunch and started eating Lan's food, Sal ended up introducing them to the wildlife ranger Dave. Sensing another moment to push MegaMan's buttons, she transported herself to Dave's PET and walked up to the red and gold Navi with a boomerang on his forehead. She then put on a cute face and started to flirt "Hii. I'm Roll!"

He shook her hand and said "Nice to meet you, Roll. I'm QuickMan."

From the security of his PET, MegaMan glared at the interaction, feeling his temper rise and confusion clouding his mind. _Why do I have a bad feeling about this…_

 _Later that evening_

MegaMan had no further luck with Roll throughout the entire evening. No matter what the activity of the hour, whether it was roasting marshmallows, canoeing, or walking along the nature trails in the cyberworld, Roll refused to tolerate one minute next to him. She had even activated a Barrier battle chip when he tried to sit next to her during the campfire. _A Barrier chip? Really?_

MegaMan sighed as he walked to Roll's tent, carrying a bouquet of roses he had found in the forest in his right hand. He raised his left hand, and knocked. The door unzipped to reveal Roll's tired face, grimacing at MegaMan's late appearance, and changing to curiosity at the bouquet in his hand. "Can we talk Roll?"

Roll sighed; no matter how irritated she was, she was unable to resist MegaMan's desperate pleading expression. Stepping outside, she groaned "What is it, Mega? It's late, and I'm tired."

MegaMan bit his lower lip in indecision; he was committed to getting Roll to talk to him, but he had put very little thought as to what he was going to say. Sighing, Roll turned around and said "If you have nothing to say, then I'm going back to bed."

She was stopped when she felt MegaMan's hand gripping her wrist. She turned around, seeing the look of desperation in his pupils. "Don't go. Please...I'm sorry."

I'm sorry. That was what made her stop. She grabbed the hand that held the roses and gently took them from his grasp. "I'm listening..."

MegaMan wiped his eyes as he rushed out "I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise in meeting you after our NetOps got off the bus. I was about to jack right over, but then Lan started walking too far, and when I was about to ask him to rejoin the others, he sat down and started eating all the pastries. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen to me. What was I supposed to do, wrap the jack-in cord around his neck?"

 _...Maybe I've been a little harsh on him…_

Before they could talk anymore, Lan's voice echoed "Alright, I'm hungry again!"

 _Again?! Remind me again why I hang out with this kid?_

Roll looked at him and stated "If you wanna make up for today, see if you can dissuade your NetOp from eating the rest of our food."

MegaMan watched as she went back into the tent and zipped it back up. Sighing, Megaman jacked back to the PET, thinking _I'm gonna kill that kid._

 _The Next Morning_

Roll woke up, yawning as Maylu carried the PET down with her to get breakfast prepared. As she watched through the viewing window, she took note that the food pack they took with them was untouched since yesterday. Smiling to herself, she thought _Well, looks like he did it. Guess I should congratulate him or something…_

Almost immediately after, Lan and Sal walked through the door, she was about to pop into Lan's PET to congratulate MegaMan, but stopped when she saw the distant look on Lan and Sal's faces. _What happened last night?_

As the group was walking back to the bus stop, Roll was taking the opportunity to talk to WoodMan. "Sal's been really distant since we left. Is something wrong?"

Sighing, WoodMan answered "She had to say goodbye to Dave earlier. I can't give away all the details, but long story short, Dave and QuickMan felt they had to do some things that got him in trouble in order to save Okuden Valley. It's left Sal conflicted..."

Roll looked to the side as she remembered the undertones of blush on Sal's face when talking about Dave. Lan and the others might not have noticed, but her crush on Mega made the signs of romantic affection more obvious to Roll. "I...I'm sorry, WoodMan. She must be crushed..."

WoodMan smiled as he said "She'll be alright. She just needs a little time."

Roll smiled, thinking _maybe that's what I needed too…_ Shaking her head, she said "I gotta go. See you around, WoodMan." She jacked back to her PET, a certain blue Navi on her mind.

Later that evening, MegaMan heard a knocking on his door. Opening the blue door, he saw a helmetless Roll, her pink armor changed from the standard uniform style to a pink sleeveless dress. She looked up at his curious face and asked "Can we talk, Mega?"

"Of course, Roll." He opened the door fully, watching as Roll gracefully walked in, sitting down in an empty chair. Sitting next to her, he asked "What's on your mind?"

Roll bit her lip, remembering how MegaMan looked when he had come to talk to her, and how she had almost brushed him off. "Mega...I wanted to say...I'M SORRY!"

MegaMan rose his eyebrow, astonished at Roll's mood swing. _What brought this on?_ "Roll, you don't need to apologize for anything. It was my fault I..."

Roll shook her head in interruption and spoke "No Mega; I overreacted and shut you out this entire trip. This was your first camping trip, and I completely ruined it for you. No matter what I do, I can't change memories, and for this to be your first memory of going camping, is completely inexcusable on my part."

MegaMan's hand lay under her chin as he forced her to look at him. He gave her the most childlike smile as he replied "The fact that you're here now, and that you're apologizing now, means the world to me. There will be other opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, so I'm not gonna let one bad day ruin my whole life. And you shouldn't either."

Tears streamed down Roll's face as she asked "How can you forgive me so easily? I was a jerk today!"

"Because you're my best friend, and you can't make me go away that easily. I stick by my friends, whether they like it or not!"

Roll laughed, wiping her eyes as she embraced him, feeling the warmth of MegaMan's body return the gesture. "Thanks, Mega. See you tomorrow then?"

MegaMan smirked, replying "count on it!" He released her, watching as she wordlessly jacked out. Smiling, he walked over to the bed, collapsing and letting his dreams take over.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Melting Ice Redux

Chapter Sixteen: Melting Ice Redux

It wasn't a widely known fact, but NetCity was designed to be a mirror of the real world. Whatever happened in Dentech City happened in NetCity. As such, it was blistering hot in NetCity, and the two NetNavis that were walking through it were sweating. They couldn't even stop for an ice cream; all the lines were filled for miles and miles. Whatever stands weren't already sold out, would be soon enough. He gave Roll an apologetic look as he watched her wipe her brow, sweat particles clearly visible on her glove. "...Raincheck, Roll?"

Roll smiled gratefully; she loved spending time with MegaMan, but this blistering heat was testing her limits. "Sure." It was too hot to hug goodbye, so both of them wordlessly jacked out to their respective PCs. As he reformed next to the air conditioner and went to turn the dial, a breeze flew in. _That's weird; I didn't even turn on the AC yet. Did Lan…_

Before he could ponder any further, he stared in shock as ice covered all the walls before covering the door that led to the net. Growing worried, he activated the voice chat on his helmet, speaking "Hey Roll? Something weird is going on; is everything alright on your end?" But his inquiry was met with only static; Roll wouldn't, or couldn't answer. "Roll? ROLL?" Gowling, he terminated the call, yelling "Hey Lan? Is anything weird going on out there?"

"Yeah; you won't believe it MegaMan, but those ADALE machines just froze Tory, Dex, and Maylu into ice sculptures! Dentech City is completely frozen!"

MegaMan gasped as an image of a frozen Roll entered his mind before he shivered and replied "Bad news; it's not just Dentech City, Lan. It's the same here; I can't connect anywhere!" Concern and fear for his friends' well-being, he urged "We gotta find someplace to jack me in, right away!"

Deciding to try Yai's house, Lan ice-skated his way to the mansion, only to find Yai in a frozen dive, and a bunch of ADALE robots surrounding him. "You better get out of there Lan, Come on; RUN!" _I don't want you to get frozen like Roll probably is!_

As Lan ran away, the breeze unhooked the latch to the PET holder on Lan's belt and knocked the PET into the snow. "Lan, LAN? LAN, HELP!" But the snow and the howling wind obscured his yelling. Curling up and accepting his fate, he thought _I'm sorry Roll; I couldn't save you this time, all because I fell into a little snow!_

He was awakened though by the sound of Lan's steps disrupting the snow, with the young boy yelling "MegaMan, please! MegaMan, ANSWER!"

"Lan!" MegaMan answered, praying that Lan would hear him. At Lan's insistence that he call louder, he bellowed "Louder? LIKE THIS?" As Lan dug his out, MegaMan shivered, asking "Didn't you hear me call when I fell?"

"Guess not; not in this howling wind..." Lan murmured before briefly passing out, only awakening when MegaMan bellowed in order to keep an ADALE from freezing them both. After pondering how they were going to jack into the Net, Lan spotted World Three's curry shop, open and unfrozen. Climbing over the counter, Lan spotted an empty port, causing the boy to exclaim "Yes, we're in!"

MegaMan grinned, hope filling him where despair once reigned. _Just a little longer, Roll. We'll save you guys yet!_

As Lan jacked him in, MegaMan activated his buster, destroying the ice wall and revealing a frozen NetCity, with civilian Navis frozen everywhere. More images of a frozen Roll entered his mind before shaking it off before spotting an ice tower in the distance and being surrounded by viruses.

Activating his buster again, MegaMan made short work of the viruses before being confronted by an ice dragon. The constant ice attacks forced the young Navi on defense, unable to raise his buster. _Why oh why did we have to return that Battle License?_ Just after his thought, MEgaMan was hit by an ice cyclone. The resulting damage activated the WoodShield Style Change, covering MegaMan in a green light before revealing the Navi in green armor and a shield on his right arm. After fending off the dragon's attack, MegaMan's shield transformed into a mini-turbine, creating a cyclone that overpowered the dragon's ice attack and deleted it.

Smirking, MegaMan reverted back to Normal Style before being interrupted by a Navi that looked like a giant icicle. "Who are you?"

"FreezeMan; senior commander of Grave, but it doesn't really matter."

 _So you're the one who froze Roll and all of NetCity…_ "Yeah, well you talk tough, but you're gonna have to face me first" MegaMan challenged.

After a brief retort, FreezeMan created a giant pillar of ice, lifting both of them up at least a hundred feet above the ground. With access to Battle Chips, MegaMan launched a series of attacks, but they were either brushed off or did no noticeable damage. As MegaMan charged in with an ElecSword, a number of miniature spears pinned him against a wall of ice.

FreezeMan grabbed him by the helmet, slowly freezing the stunned Navi. "Must have been some other Navi I was hearing those great things about. You're about as tough as powdered snow!"

 _Why oh why did I cancel that Style Change? Roll, I'm sorry…_

Luck smiled upon him, for a new Navi named HeatMan drove off FreezeMan, saving MegaMan's hide. As the ice in the real world melted and everyone unfroze, Maylu ran up and hugged Lan. As Lan tried to brush off her praise, Roll appeared next to the Blue Bomber, smiling in gratitude at her perceived savior. She grabbed his hand and murmured "Thanks, Mega!"

With the adrenaline no longer preventing him from thinking, Roll's words hit him. _I'm not the one you should be thanking this time…_

MegaMan retreated back to Lan's PC, causing Roll to reach her hand out in surprise. "Mega, wait!" Sighing, she thought _What's the matter with him? Usually he lights up like a christmas tree when he wins a big battle…_ Though she felt the urge to go after him, she restrained herself. _Maybe he just needs some cool-down time._ She retreated back to her PET as Lan and the gang said their goodbyes.

When he rematerialized in the PC, MegaMan collapsed on the bed, facing the ceiling. _So much for being the ultimate NetNavi; couldn't even stop one lousy Ice Navi._ Feeling shame take over him, he pulled up a menu and activated the security cube. _Sorry Roll, but I can't face you just yet..._

 _Later that evening_

Maylu was turning up the heater in her house, still a little cold from her time as an ice sculpture. _I'll never complain about the heat again!_ She logged on to her PC and saw her Navi sitting on the sofa in the corner. "Hey Roll; didn't you have a date with MegaMan today?"

Her cheeks red, Roll corrected "It wasn't a date, Maylu; we bumped into each other after some errands and decided to take a walk through NetCity together. And we left early because of the heat, ironically enough. After we got back, Grave froze everything and given the crazy day, I thought MegaMan might want some time to decompress..."

Maylu looked at her Navi sympathetically; she herself had refrained from asking Lan questions about what caused ADALE to malfunction, and instead just giving the standard thank you that she was used to giving every other week. But one look at her Navi, and Maylu could tell that Roll was beside herself with worry over MegaMan. "Well...maybe he'd also like somebody to talk to. It's worth a shot, right?"

 _She does bring up a good point…_ She flashed back to the various times that she had confronted her secret crush and engaged in difficult discussions; often times she got him to crack in 2 minutes. "Alright, I'll walk over to the link; I'm gonna need some time to figure out what I'm gonna say anyways."

Maylu smiled before wishing her Navi good luck. Roll laughed before walking through the Dentech Network, enjoying the new sights that came after NetCity was built. At last, she saw the familiar blue door. Stepping forward to open the knob, she found her hand blocked by a blue and red cube. _A security cube? Lan never installed a security cube before. Unless…_ Roll's eyes widened in realization; the only reason a security cube would deny her entrance is if MegaMan really wanted to be left alone. She remembered when she first learned that rule, just before summer vacation…

 _Weeks Earlier_

Roll hummed a tune, walking down the net paths on her way to pay MegaMan a surprise visit. Just as she approached the door, she felt herself bump into something. "Oww..." she complained as she fell down, rubbing her slightly bruised stomach. Refocusing her vision, she saw a floating cube with a note attached. Looking closer, she read

 _Lan Hikari and are studying for finals and cannot be disturbed at this time. Please insert any written messages into the security cube. Have a nice day!_

Roll sweatdropped as she turned around, slightly miffed that Lan's academic laziness prevented her from surprising MegaMan.

 _End Flashback_

MegaMan had apologized the next day and assured her that the security cube would only go up if it was absolutely necessary. Although her recent battles had proven that she was more than capable of NetBattling a cube and winning, she had to respect MegaMan's wishes and let him be for the time being. _I promised after I broke down his door that time that I wouldn't intrude on his privacy anymore. And he knows he can tell me anything, so he can tell me when he's ready_. As Roll walked forward, she felt a sudden chill emanating from her core. _What...what's going on?_ As the chill grew stronger, she was forced to her knees. Unable to use her healing powers on herself, she was powerless to protect herself as her recognition of the world around her grew dimmer and dimmer. _Help...somebody...help me Mega!_

Meanwhile, the Navi in question was as Roll had put it earlier, decompressing. With a mug of hot chocolate in one hand, he sipped as he let his mind work in peace and quiet. _FreezeMan...he completely outclassed me. If I don't step up my game, I'll let everyone down again…_

His sensors interrupted his train of thought, picking up what sounded like moaning. _What...what was that?_ As the moaning continued, he shook his head of any conclusions. _Stay calm, MegaMan; for all you know it could be GutsMan playing a joke again._ He cautiously got up and unlocked the security code, opening the door. What awaited him wasn't a ghost, gut scared him all the same; Roll was huddling and shivering not even five feet away from him. Dropping his mug, it shattered as he ran up to her. "Roll? Are...are you okay?"

He could tell she wasn't paying attention to him, but she still murmured "Mega...Help me, Mega..."

That was enough for MegaMan to act; he slid his hands under her and picked her up, carrying her bridal style and into the warmth of the PC, letting the young girl lean into him the entire time. He flashed back to not long after the two of them became friends, when he was in the exact same situation after freeing IceMan from WackoMan. _How could I have been so blind; I knew firsthand what being frozen in ice could do to a Navi. I was so busy wallowing in self-pity that I refused to think about how Roll was…_

The two Navis arrived on the sofa, where MegaMan sat the two of them down with Roll still on his lap. He removed his gloves and helmet before removing Roll's helmet. He used one hand to caress her neck while using the other to stroke her back. "It's okay, Roll. I'm sorry I wasn't there before. But I promise, I'm not going away until you're better." At her shivering, he continued "Shh, it's okay, it's okay."

MegaMan felt powerless; when Roll was there for him she had her healing powers at her disposal. _I don't have anything except my words and my hands…_ Brushing the negativity out of his mind, he conjured up a blanket that draped over them. For the next half hour they sat there, Roll burying her head on MegaMan's emblem while the young boy caressed her back.

At last she calmed down, murmuring "Thank you" before passing out on his lap.

MegaMan yawned, feeling sleep get to him as he decided to just roll with their unusual position. He was about to stand up, when he felt Roll groan and tighten her grip around him. _I'm not going away until you're better_. Remembering his promise, he sat back down, using his left foot to activate the recliner. Closing his eyes, he let his head lean down, burying his face into Roll's ponytail as they warmed each other, bringing smiles to both of their faces.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Cutting to the Chase

A/N: This episode is based off of the 13th episode of Season 2 of MegaMan NT Warrior. Before we begin, a couple of shoutouts. First, to **Angel** , thank you very much. In regards to your question, I plan to create a separate fiction for each iteration; one for NT Warrior, one for Axess, one for Stream, and one for Beast with an epilogue taking place after Beast+. To **TheKeyToDestiny** , thanks for the advice. I try to avoid typos, but unfortunately sometimes I do miss a couple.

Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter Seventeen: Cutting to the Chase

It had been several weeks since Grave's last attack, and life had returned to some level of normalcy for the young NetBattler and his friends. MegaMan and the others had been relaxing and chatting, though he would have been lying if he said that he wasn't worried.

"What'cha worried about, Mega?" His pink companion lay her hand on her shoulder as they sat on the platform in the school network.

MegaMan smiled as he answered "Grave; what else is there to worry about these days..." He chuckled before continuing with a serious tone "FreezeMan proved that these guys are tougher than World Three ever was. Not since ProtoMan have I found myself outmatched by anyone, and what's worse is that he's in the organization that's causing these incidents. I honestly don't know how i'll be able to win if I face him again."

"But he just caught you off guard; you'll find a strategy to beat him next time, Mega." She smiled at him, trying to restore the confidence that she admired about him.

MegaMan smiled gratefully, but before he could say anymore, Lan chimed in, saying "Hey MegaMan, time to jack out! We've gotta get to bed early so I don't oversleep tomorrow!"

"I'll be out in a minute, Lan!" MegaMan yelled as the viewing window closed.

"What's so special about tomorrow?" The interruption in the conversation had made her curious.

"Lan invited everyone to meet up tomorrow morning for breakfast at some place called Space Niku-Man. Apparently they're serving a limited supply of hot-fudge pancakes."

"Sounds delicious; I bet you'll be hard at work waking Lan up tomorrow, right?"

"Actually, no. Ever since the PharaohMan incident, Lan got a regular alarm clock; he said that he wanted to show his appreciation for me by actually waking up on his own." MegaMan chuckled and finished "I swear, the first time I heard that, I must have thought _Who are you and what have you done with Lan Hikari?_ "

Roll laughed as she replied "Well you deserve it. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

MegaMan nodded as Roll quickly and briefly embraced him. She watched as he finally jacked out, disappearing into data bits. Before long, she felt Maylu do the same, feeling herself be jerked back to her PET.

As the Blue Bomber traveled back home through the PET, he felt an uncomfortable sensation stir in his heart. _Why do I have a bad feeling about this…_

 _The next morning_

"Zzz...Zzz..." the Blue Bomber snoozed away, being roused only when a faint beeping sound entered the PC's audio receptors. Yawning, he got up, looking drowsily at the clock. HIs eyes widened as he suddenly became aware of the time. _Se...SEVEN?_

Activating the viewing window, he looked out and saw that Lan was still snoozing in his pajamas. _Why the heck is he still asleep?_ Opening up a diagnostic program, he noticed a tiny anomaly; the virtual connection between the house mainframe and the new alarm clock Lan bought was frayed. _It's like someone took a giant pair of scissors and snapped the connection…_

Deciding that now was not the time to ponder trivial details, MegaMan took a deep breath and yelled "LAAAAAN!"

The bellow startled the young boy, not only waking him up but causing him to fall out of bed. "Oww...MegaMan, what was that for?" Lan moaned as he nursed his aching head.

"You're late; look at the time!"

MegaMan pulled a giant clock image onto the monitor, urging the young NetOp to look closely. Lan's brown eyes went as wide as dinner plates as he screamed in shock. Hurriedly getting dressed, he unplugged the PET just after MegaMan jacked into it. He proceeded to trip down the stairs, jump into his rollerblades, and dash out the door. Not really listening to MegaMan's pondering about the malfunction being possible sabotage, he exclaimed "Boy are they gonna be angry." As he raced down the streets, he thought _Maylu's gonna kill me!_

At the same time, MegaMan thought _Roll's gonna kill me!_

Pink boots paced the floor of the virtual environment within the PET, their owner growing more and more worried with every minute that passed by. _Where are you, Mega? Maylu said you guys would be here at six, and you're almost two hours late. Ooh, I knew having Lan rely on a normal alarm clock was a bad idea!_

But as worried as she was, she refused to allow herself to get mad at him, at least for now. She still was haunted by the image of MegaMan's pleading eyes from the last time she overreacted. Her worried thoughts were interrupted by her NetOp's ranting. "I mean, I know he's always been late, but today he promised and promised AND PROMISED!" Roll cringed as she heard Maylu continue "WHAT A JERK, WHAT A DUNCE, WHAT A SLACKER, WHAT A GOOFUP, AND WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I STILL FRIENDS WITH HIM FOR?"

 _She's never insulted Lan like this before. Not even their argument during TorchMan's second rampage was this severe._ Roll's concern shifted; right now she was more worried about Maylu's behavior than MegaMan's tardiness. Roll sighed with relief when a possible crisis was temporarily averted when the party walked outside at Yai's suggestion that they go ahead of Lan. With Maylu's eruption no longer a concern, her worried thoughts now shifted back to the Blue Bomber. _Please hurry, Mega!_

 _Gotta hurry, gotta hurry, GOTTA HURRY!_ Lan raced frantically through the streets, trying to get to Yai's treehouse before they got too angry. _Yeah right; they probably all wanna beat the Zenny out of me by now...I've gotta find a way to make them un-angry at me…_

A few seconds later, he found his answer. When MegaMan questioned why they were stopping at a telephone booth, Lan answered "The others shouldn't have to miss out because of me, so go on ahead and tell them to start eating without me. Then when I apologize later, maybe it'll be harder for them to stay mad at me."

 _Doubt it...nothing short of a near-deletion by FreezeMan is gonna get them to forgive you quickly._ Sighing to himself, MegaMan warned in a sing-song voice "You know it's not gonna work, but alright..." MegaMan jacked into the telephone onto the Net, planning to make his way to Roll's PET through NetCity. _I've got a bad feeling about this..._

Roll's head ribbons flashed briefly, picking up an incoming signal. "Hey Maylu, I'm picking up a signal coming this way."

Still locked in a glare from her anger, Maylu angrily replied "What kind of signal?"

Suddenly as MegaMan was traveling through the cyber tunnel, it flashed for a moment before returning to normal. "What was that? It's like the whole network just blacked out for a second..."

Before Roll could reply, the signal fizzled out, her ribbons dimming before ceasing to glow entirely. "That's weird; it just stopped for some reason..."

"Probably Lan being too scared to show up and apologize for his standoffish and inconsiderate behavior!" Maylu raged as the group followed a man who offered to take them to a noodle restaurant after they found out that Space Niku-Man was closed.

 _So much for having quelled Maylu's anger...looks like I'll have to step in after all…_ "Maylu, don't you think you're being a little hard on him?"

"And why are you so calm? If anything, you're usually MORE easily irritated than I am. So why aren't you angry with Lan and Blue-Boy?"

Roll took a deep breath and explained "Trust me, Maylu; I am upset. But I don't wanna jump to conclusions yet, so I'm waiting to hear their explanation for being late. For all we know, Grave might have launched an attack while we were asleep and they might have lost sleep trying to contain them. We won't know for sure until we hear it straight from them."

Still taking an angry tone, but starting to see a hint of reason, Maylu replied "Well if you hear their reason, let me know, but don't hold your breath!"

Sensing Maylu was to angry to reason with, Roll sighed and paced the PET, murmuring "I hope you have a good explanation, Mega..."

Eventually, they spotted Lan and Chaud walking together, and although they never gave an actual reason, they were greeted by an extremely apologetic Lan, bowing at their feet and begging for their forgiveness. Roll giggled, half-expecting him to kiss their feet. To her surprise, Maylu stepped forward and offered a condition for their forgiveness. "If you wanna make it up to us, tomorrow you get up first thing in the morning and cook up some chocolate covered pancakes for everyone."

Lan gaped at the thought of having to cook food himself, but relented. Roll giggled, thinking _This should be good!_

 _Later that evening_

Roll absent-mindedly hummed a tune as she combed her ponytail. Though MegaMan never actually went up to her and explained what happened today, the thought of Lan cooking for them made her decide to just let it slide this time. _Come to think of it, this'll be the first time that Chaud and ProtoMan will be joining our social group._ She giggled, trying to imagine the serious ProtoMan having fun. As she continued to hum, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Getting up, she walked over to the door, whiffing a delicious smell as she got closer. _Mmm, that smells good…_

Grabbing the doorknob, she flung the door open, revealing a shy MegaMan holding a plate of chocolate covered pancakes. Giving an uneasy smile, he greeted "Hi, Roll."

Roll gave a playful smile and put her left hand on her hip, before replying in a borderline scolding voice "You do know that Maylu asked LAN to make pancakes tomorrow, right? You bringing some here doesn't get him out of that."

But MegaMan shook is head in refutation and replied "Lan didn't send me here. I came, because...I wanted to talk. Is this a good time?"

Changing from a teasing smile to a friendly one, Roll stood to the side, silently beckoning him in. Once he had entered, Roll took the plate of pancakes from him and set it down on a nearby coffee table. Walking back over to him, Roll asked "So what did you want to talk about?"

MegaMan took a deep breath and thought _Well, here goes. Please don't be mad at me…_ "I'm sorry that Lan and I were late today. It was terrible of us to keep you and the others waiting." MegaMan had his eyes clamped shut, cracking open his left and half-expecting her to be irritated. When he still saw the smile on her face, he opened both eyes and asked "You're not mad?"

Roll continued to smile and revealed "I'm waiting to hear why you were late. Then I'll decide whether or not you're in trouble."

"Okay. The reason we were late is because last night these five Navis calling themselves "The Invincible CutMan Bros." cut the wiring on Lan's clock and it never went off."

 _Well that explains why Lan was late...but it doesn't explain why he was with Chaud when we found him…_ "So why did they try to sabotage Lan's alarm? Were they from Grave?"

MegaMan cradled his chin in his hand as he replied "No; they seemed like they were acting alone. Although they reminded me of a Navi who worked for Grave. It's possible they might have been brothers and wanted to avenge his defeat by deleting me..."

 _Great; someone else who wants to delete Mega…_ Curious for more information, Roll pressed "So you mentioned that they cut the wiring. But how did you run into them?"

"After we dashed out of the house, Lan stopped at a phone booth and tried to jack me in so that I could go ahead and tell you guys to go on ahead without us. But the Cutman Bros. did something to alter the network connection and tricked me into entering some fake Net Town."

"Wait a second..." Roll interrupted. "What time did you try to jack in, Mega?"

"About quarter of eight. Why?" MegaMan raised his eyebrow in confusion. _Why does it matter what time I jacked in?_

 _That was the same time I picked up that signal. No wonder it fizzled out…_ She shook her head and replied "No reason. So what happened next?"

"Next the Cutman Bros. attacked me with paper ninja dolls. They were easy enough opponents, even when ganging up on me. But then..." MegaMan shuddered as he remembered a sight he would never forget.

 _Earlier that morning_

 _C'mon...where's the exit in this crazy place?!_ MegaMan breathed heavily as he ran through the black and white environment. He suddenly came across a bridge, and stopped to blast a giant carp. But just as he stopped to catch his breath, he felt several tugs on his body; several mache ninjas had thrown ropes around his arms and legs, keeping him from moving forward. As he tried to come up with a way out of this mess, he saw a giant door open, revealing four outlines.

MegaMan grinned with relief at seeing his friends. "Hey Roll, everybody! I'm glad to see you're okay." _Wait; how did they get here anyway? How did they know where to find me? Something's not right…_

Suddenly, the moonlight shone, revealing the four outlines to be not his friends, but paper copies who wasted no time in attacking the Blue Bomber. MegaMan stared in shock, until Lan temporarily reconnected, yelling at him to get out of there. His resolve ignited, the young Navi pulled as hard as he could, flinging the ninjas that held the ropes and using them as a shield.

Forming his buster, MegaMan struggled to keep his aim steady. _They're just copies, they're just copies!_ He fired four blasts, each one hitting its target. MegaMan felt his heart break as it pierced the copy of Roll, before being replaced by anger and rage. "That's the worst," he growled. "To make me fight my own friends, even FAKES!" _Whoever's doing this is in a world of trouble once I catch up to them!_

 _End Flashback_

"After that, the CutMan Bros. appeared and attacked me with a giant paper dragon. Then ProtoMan came and destroyed the dragon before revealing ShadowMan to everyone. ProtoMan fought ShadowMan to a draw, and I defeated the CutMan Bros. with Heat Guts Style."

Roll stared at him in amazement; what was planned to be a relatively boring morning turned out to be a victory against five angry Navis and the mercenary Navi that was hired to delete MegaMan. At the same time, Roll was aggravated at the fact that the CutMan Bros. had not only copied their appearances, but their attacks. _For them to create near-exact replicas...that means they had to have been watching us._ Roll's temper flared at their invasion of privacy as her fist clenched. _Why those little orange perverts! If I ever see them, they're as good as deleted!_

Her fiery anger was doused by looking at her companion; he had his back turned to her, his head faced towards the floor and his hands gripping the counter so hard that if he were human, he would've drawn blood. She laid a hand on his shoulder, asking "Are you okay, Mega?"

A single tear dripped down his cheek as he answered "I hated having to fight you, even a fake. It reminds me of..."

Roll frowned understandingly; the subject of the N1 tag match was a touchy area for both of them, and they only spoke of it when they absolutely had to. And though it wasn't their goal, the CutMan Bros. had opened up a wound that the two of them had tried to keep locked away. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, her hands resting on his stomach. MegaMan gasped in surprise and looked up to see her warm smile directed at him. "Roll..."

"Like you said, they were just fakes. They weren't real, and the N1 was a long time ago. You don't need to be affected by this anymore. We all know that you would do anything to ensure our safety. But you should never hesitate to stop anyone masquerading as us, and you shouldn't let past memories impact your ability to fight." She pressed him tighter against her. "Promise me that you won't let this affect you anymore, Mega."

"Roll..." MegaMan closed his eyes, focusing on the comfort he felt from feeling Roll's hands against his stomach. "I...I promise."

Roll smiled at him relaxing her grip before saying "That's better." She released him from her grasp, saying "You should get some rest; we need someone to make sure Lan gets up on time tomorrow."

MegaMan giggled at the remark. "Ok then. See you tomorrow, Roll!" He vanished from the PC, leaving Roll all by himself. Her gaze turned back to the plate of pancakes Mega had made. _Now let's see how good his cooking is!_


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Overprotective-Much

A/N: Well, this chapter is based off of the 15th episode of Season 2 of MegaMan NT Warrior. Quick shoutout to **Hi I'm LuLu.** I'm glad you enjoy the chapters so much. I hope to churn out another one more quickly.

Anyways, Enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen: Overprotective-Much?

"OCTOPUS, EWW!" All four pre-teens screamed; Lan had heard that Maysa had opened a food stand in town, and suggested that they check it out. Dex off-handedly remarked that he was afraid to ask what food he's serving. Asking was unnecessary; as they approached his cart, a giant flag with a big red octopus came into view, causing the group to scream in repulsion.

MegaMan sighed from within his PET. "Honestly Lan, don't knock it 'till you try it!"

"I was kind of surprised it wasn't fish…" Roll piped over the wireless connection, causing the Blue Bomber to chuckle in agreement.

That chuckle changed to a jaw-dropping expression of shock when Maysa thanked them for coming as if their collective screech had never even happened. "Did he not just hear what they said? Wow, he's happy!"

"This guy's so dense that he could give Lan a run for his zenny…" Roll murmured as she rolled her eyes at both Maysa's oblivious attitude and MegaMan's over-the-top expression.

At closer inspection, Lan changed his mind, declaring that they looked and smelled delicious, ordering five cases to everyone else's one. _I knew you'd like them if you gave them a chance._ MegaMan smirked while closing his eyes in triumph. Upon opening them however, he caught a glance of a hand reaching in front of his NetOp. "Hey Lan, look in front of you." But Lan seemed to be in a trance, looking squarely at Maysa's face. Meanwhile the hand in question grabbed Lan's octo-tray and pulled it away. "Hey Lan; someone just took your octopus!" Only when Maysa asked what was wrong did Lan snap out of it and notice the food thief; a guy with long hair who stood with Lan's five empty boxes at his feet and snottily told Lan that he wasn't missing much, causing Maysa to flare up in rage at the insult. _Gee, now he notices that his food was insulted…_

Not one to be left out of a fight, net-based or otherwise, Lan pointed his finger at the boy and angrily demanded that he pay up for the food and questioned why he ate all five orders of it if it was so bad. Smirking, he replied "I was hungry. Why; you challenging me, tough guy?"

MegaMan was about to warn his NetOp to walk away before any more trouble happened when three random thugs decided to challenge him instead. After remarking on their "pathetic" entrance, the boy revealed his name to be Tora. After "borrowing" Maysa's cart, all four netbattlers jacked in, but before anyone could see what happened, Tora's KingMan logged out all three opponents simultaneously. _Wow, this guy's good; he might give ProtoMan a run for his money…_

After gloating that his signature move won every time, Tora suddenly adopted a gloomy expression and spoke out loud "It sure would be nice to find a real net battle. Isn't there anyone out there who's worthy?"

MegaMan felt his competitive spirit flare up as Lan challenged Tora on the spot, causing the new netbattler to scoff at Lan's challenge. As Tory, Dex, Maylu and even Maysa urged him to walk away, Roll tried to cool MegaMan's urge to battle. "Mega, this seems really fishy to me; I think he was seeking you out all along. What if he's working for Grave in disguise?"

Though the competitive flare in his eyes was still present, the intensity had died down somewhat as he started to think logically. _Maybe she's right; Dave was a perfectly nice fellow, but he turned out to be a double agent. I don't know anything about this guy; maybe I should hold off until I can do more research on what kind of NetNavi he uses…_

However, Lan was unfazed, advancing with his challenge to Tora. He only hesitated when Tora turned the battle into a wager, making the loser have to forfeit his Navi. Roll gasped at the proclamation, turning to her companion as she exclaimed "Mega, don't let Lan do this; it would be the stupidest reason to risk losing your friends forever!" As MegaMan was about to pipe up and follow Roll's advice, Maysa tried to tackle Tora, but missed and hit Lan, causing him to accidently jack-in MegaMan. The Blue Bomber fell down a hole that opened up in the floor as he transformed into data bits, screaming on the way to the cart's network. "MEGA!" Roll screamed as she watched him disappear, on his way to a netbattle where the stakes were higher than they had faced in any casual battle.

Landing on his rear, MegaMan reformed in the arena, yelling to the sky "Oww, Lan that hurt!" As Lan futilely tried to cancel the battle, MegaMan reassured him "Don't worry; we've never run from a net battle before and we're not gonna start now." _Besides, we've already jacked in, so we might as well go with it._

Lan and MegaMan were raring to go, but were stopped by Tora's declaration that he had to set up his other pieces, and only had his king out; this made Roll worry. _King? Pieces? What's he talking about? Unless…_ Roll's eyes widened as she flashed back to how Maylu and Roll spent their time before MegaMan came into their lives. _Oh no, this isn't a normal netbattle!_ Surely enough, Tora revealed that this was a net chess battle, and at Lan's admission that he never learned how to play chess, Roll facepalmed. _The one time he chooses to netbattle and it's in a game he's never played! Why do I have a crush on this clueless dork again?_

Tora opted to loan Lan some chess pieces to get the match underway, which Lan thanked him for. But Roll wasn't so convinced of Tora's charity. _Something's not right…_ Her head ribbons glowed as she quickly scanned the chess pieces, and her eyes widened in fear. "Maylu; those loaned pieces are Level Zero! They'll be destroyed if they even touch anything!"

"That cheater! What do we do?" Maylu looked worried; if they lost MegaMan, then she'd have to contend with a depressed Lan and Roll simultaneously. It would practically be a second PharaohMan incident.

Roll slammed her right fist into her palm and answered "We jump in, and help Lan and MegaMan out with our own pieces, and put our own strategy into the fray. You are still Regional Net Chess Champion, right?"

Maylu smirked and exclaimed "You're right; let's do this!"

As Tora accepted their terms, Maylu jacked Roll in, with the pink Navi appearing next to the Blue Bomber. Pushing over an adjacent piece, she said shyly "I'm really looking forward to this!" _Finally, something that I can actually help Mega with!_

Both blushed as he replied "Me too, Roll!"

After Tora stuck his tongue out in disgust, he revealed that if he won, then he'd take both MegaMan and Roll, causing both Maylu and Roll to cry in shock. Roll stopped when she felt MegaMan's hand on her shoulder. He smiled at her, murmuring "Don't worry; you can do this!"

 _YOU can do this…Not we, but you…_ Roll smiled and wiped her eyes, replying "Thanks, Mega! Alright, Rush; bring 'em out!"

The match started out simple enough; both Tora and Roll sent out their pieces to advance. It was then that MegaMan decided to take the initiative and rush forward with a Buster. It backfired; the Knight he aimed for kept dodging, and Roll had to send the Rooks to keep him from getting hit. When Tora's move had finished, she marched over to him, yanking on his ear. "Back row, now!"

"Ow!" MegaMan exclaimed as Roll dragged him to the farthest row on the board. _Boy can she pull!_

At last she released him from her grasp; he looked up to see her staring at him with a disapproving glare. "If you don't wanna get separated from Lan, you should stay in this corner; you don't know how to play, and I can concentrate better if I don't have to worry about you making any bonehead moves. Now stay in the corner."

"But Roll…"

"CORNER!"

MegaMan cowered under her motherly voice. "Yes, Roll…"

He traced a finger in circles on the tile as Roll sighed, turning her attention back to the match. "Alright; let's get back to work!"

Unfortunately, that was when Tora showed his true strength, toppling her pieces like dominoes. It was at this point that Roll resorted to more conventional battle techniques, namely her Roll Blast. But for all her effort, she found herself outmaneuvered by Tora's moves, eventually thrown to the side like a ragdoll. "ROLL!" Megaman screamed as he crawled over to her, forgetting her orders to stay put. "Are you okay?"

Roll rubbed her head as she murmured "Yeah, fine; but we're gonna need a miracle to come out of this." Her eyes widened in dread as she yelled "MegaMan, behind you!" But her warning came too late, the advancing Rook rammed him towards the advancing KingMan, who slammed him back to the Rook. _MEGA!_ Glaring at their opponent, she ordered Pawn, Bishop, and Knight to attack KingMan, who was slammed from above. _Yes; take that!_

Unfortunately, her excitement came too soon, for KingMan disintegrated them all with ease. Roll gasped with despair. _It's all over…_ Roll slumped to the ground as she passed out.

When she came to, she caught a glimpse of MegaMan and KingMan, before being blinded by a flash of light. When her vision cleared, she saw KingMan and MegaMan shaking hands. _What happened? Who won?_

Unfortunately, there was no time for further contemplation; ShadowMan appeared on a giant virus and attacked, with KingMan taking the blow and logging out. Enraged, MegaMan used ElecTeam Style, and as Lan plugged in the extension chip, Roll felt herself being digitized and integrated into MegaMan's programming. After MegaMan deleted the virus and ShadowMan fled, the Style Change wore off, returning MegaMan and Roll to their respective PETs.

 _Later that Evening_

Roll paced in Maylu's PC, unable to get to sleep. _What happened back there? We're both with Maylu and Lan, so does that mean that Lan won?_ Roll shook her head in denial. _No, no; if Lan really had won, then MegaMan would have been jumping for joy. But since we're not with Tora, we didn't lose, so what happened?!_

"Are you okay, Roll?" Maylu's concerned voice spoke through the voice channel.

Roll smiled sheepishly at her NetOp and replied. "I'm fine Maylu; just…trying to figure some things out?"

"What kind of things?" _This must be about that chess match…_

"…Maylu, what happened after I passed out in the middle of the match? We obviously didn't lose, but it didn't seem like a total victory either, so I'm lost. What happened?"

Maylu sighed; she knew that this would come up, and someone had to tell Roll what happened. "…After you passed out, MegaMan came up from behind with some pretty impressive emoves, and even had KingMan cornered. But as he was about to deliver the final blow…You came to and stood up, right behind KingMan. You were in the line of fire, so MegaMan refused to take the shot, allowing KingMan to attack."

"…And then what happened?"

"KingMan was about to win, but stopped one square away. Touched by MegaMan's desire to protect you, Tora called off the match with no winner."

Roll didn't know how to feel. On one level, she felt touched that MegaMan cared that much about her. On another, she felt annoyed that MegaMan had stolen her thunder.

Maylu noticed the conflicted expression on her face, and simply urged "Go talk to him."

Nodding, Roll vanished into data bits, reforming in front of the blue door and knocking against the frame three times. The door slowly creaked open to reveal the blue helmet of her chess partner. "Roll? Is something wrong?"

Neither nodding nor shaking her head, she only answered "Can we talk?" Wordlessly, MegaMan nodded, opening the door for Roll to enter. Strolling on in, she waited for MegaMan to close the door before speaking "Maylu told me what happened after I came to…"

MegaMan sighed; he knew this topic would come up eventually; he just didn't think it would be so soon. "Yeah; I'm sorry I disobeyed your orders earlier, but he was hammering you and…"

She raised a hand to stop him from speaking. "I get why you did, and I'm grateful for it. But you were very lucky today, Mega. If Tora hadn't shown you mercy, we would be under new ownership right now. Plus…" She took a deep breath before yelling "YOU STOLE MY THUNDER BACK THERE, MEGAMAN!"

MegaMan cringed backwards, both at her critical yelling and the volume of her voice. "Oww, Roll. What do you mean, I stole your thunder?"

Letting everything out, she ranted "Every time there's trouble, you get to jack in and save everyone and be the hero, while I have to sit on the sidelines and cheer for you. Now just one time, I had the chance to actually be useful to you, and you somehow manage to outshine me in a game that you've never even played!"

She turned around and gripped the nightstand in front of her, trying to control her words. Comprehension crossed MegaMan's face as he understood. _So, all this time, I've been making her feel useless?_ He laid a hand on her shoulder and asked "Roll, could you please look at me?" After reluctantly turning around to face him, Roll listened as he spoke "I'm sorry that I've been making you feel useless. But Roll…" He grasped her chin and raised her head so that they were staring into each other's eyes. "You're not useless. The only reason I was able to make a comeback for us was because I was watching you play. I was able to learn the rules of the game because you were such a skilled player, and if I had continued making bonehead moves like I did at the start, then we definitely would have lost. So Roll, you are very useful, and I couldn't ask for a better partner!"

Roll gasped at the sudden praise from MegaMan, tears of happiness running down her face. She nearly tackled him in a hug, the young boy struggling to keep his balance as Roll nestled her smiling face against his shoulder. After calmming down, she released him, wiping the tear track off of her eyes. "Mega, I want you to promise me something. Can you do that?"

"Anything; just name it!"

Roll bit her lip as she kept herself from taking advantage of that and asking for her secret desire. Swallowing that particular wish for another day, she stared at him and said "If we're ever in a netbattle and you have the opportunity to deal the final blow, but I have a chance of getting hit, I want you to proceed with your attack. I'm not made out of glass, Mega, so don't hesitate just because I might be in the way. Can you do that?"

 _She had to ask for that one…but I'm a Navi of my word…_ "Alright, Roll, if it makes you happy then I'll do that."

Roll smiled as she replied "Thanks, Mega." She looked at the virtual clock hanging on the wall and exclaimed "Oh my; I didn't realize how late it was. I've gotta get back to Maylu." Giving MegaMan a last brief hug, she hollered "See you soon, Mega!"

She stepped through the portal, leaving the Blue Bomber by himself as he plopped on the bed, trying to get as much sleep as possible before he had to wake Lan up.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Overeager

A/N: This chapter is based off of Episode 17 of Season 2 of NT Warrior. I'm sorry this is so late; this was always in the back of my mind, but I never got around to actually doing it until now. I hope that future chapters will be released at a higher frequency. Before we begin, a shoutout to **Hi I'm Lulu** ; I have been using the English dub for the most part, but I also refer to the Japanese sub to reflect altered or cut scenes. Enjoy the Chapter!

Chapter Nineteen: Overeager

Several weeks had passed since Grave's last attack, and although the crime organization had stayed mostly quiet, life was far from peaceful for the group of netbattlers. A power outage had caused a virus to escape and turned nearly all the NetNavis into cat programs. Thankfully some quick thinking on Lan's part along with help from the realm-travelling Rush allowed them to capture it and permitted Dr. Hikari to create an antidote and turn everyone's Navis back to normal. Though the aftermath was anything but easy…

 _Flashback_

"Is…is it over?" The blue navi looked over himself as he emerged from the data configuration tube. _No claws? Check. No tail? Check. No whiskers? Check_

"I think it's safe to say that Dr. Hikari's antidote worked." MegaMan turned to his left as his pink counterpart raised her arms and yawned as she walked over to him. "I'm just glad to be human again!"

 _Human…_ MegaMan pondered as he had a brief flash. Images of two brown-haired boys and their smiling parents entered his mind as he continued to think _Human…_

"Hello? Earth to Mega, are you in there?" Roll waved her hand in front of his face until he blinked, signaling that he was coming out of his trance. Watching him shake his head, she asked "You okay? You looked kind of out of it for a while…"

Now completely aware, MegaMan smiled and replied "I just spaced out for a moment; I'll be fine."

Roll looked concerned, but before she could press him anymore, they heard the other members of their gang snickering over in a corner. Taking the lead with MegaMan following her, she called "Alright guys; what's so funny?"

Spotting something in GutsMan's hands, she used her head ribbons to snatch it out of his hands. "Hey! Gutsman wasn't finished, Guts!"

Waving off the robotic gorilla, she continued "Now let's see what's so…" Her face blanched, mortified at the sight in front of her.

"Hey what's wrong, Roll? You look like you've seen a ghost…" MagaMan's expression matched his companion as he registered what he was seeing; it was a Net Security cam image showing them in their cat forms. It wasn't just any image either; it was portraying MegaMan and Roll climbing over each other and licking each other. MegaMan downloaded a Fire Sword chip and pierced the image, deleting it as it burned.

 _End Flashback_

That incident became another topic that MegaMan and Roll silently agreed to never discuss. It was so mortifying that MegaMan had even warned Lan to never ask his dad for a lion for his birthday.

"But why not, MegaMan? And just how do you plan to stop me anyways?"

"Because it's mortifying, and dangerous. And if you even utter a syllable about it to your father, I'll wrap the jack-in cord around your neck. Are we clear?"

Before Lan could gulp and nod, the PC beeped, causing MegaMan to drop their conversation. "Hey Lan; you've got an e-mail. It's from…Commander Beef?"

"Beef? Are you sure? What would he want with us?"

"I dunno, but let's find out." He opened the letter, causing a voice clip of Sharkman's voice to play.

"Dear Lan and MegaMan, We have a favor to ask of you. Come alone to the Sky Diner in an hour. Signed, Commander Beef and Sharkman."

A moment passed before a grin appeared on Lan's face. To the protest of MegaMan, Lan forcefully jacked him out and rollerbladed out of the house.

"Mega…" Roll appeared in the virtual room, hoping to surprise him with a visit. "That's odd, he's usually home around now…" She then saw the open e-mail still plastered on the wall. As she read it, her eyes widened in worry. Activating the voice chat feature in her helmet, she contacted her NetOp. "Maylu, Lan and MegaMan are meeting Commander Beef and Sharkman at the Sky Diner in less than an hour. Let's get Yai and the others and catch up with them."

"Roll, isn't it a little early to get worried? If it's important, then Lan will tell us." Maylu was worried too, but she was much more averse to intruding on her friends' private meetings than Roll was.

"Are you kidding; Lan's so rash he'd take on World Three all by himself, and MegaMan's hero complex is so big he'd insist on not telling us anything until it was too late. And if they're asking him to do something dangerous, we should have his back!"

 _Hard to argue with that…_ "Alright, Roll; I'll call the others and we'll get a table on the other side of the restaurant." Roll terminated the chat line and jacked back into her PET.

 _Later_

"So why are we going to some dinky 3 star restaurant to spy on Lan again?" Yai couldn't understand why she was bothering to go to a "poor man's" restaurant; apparently her brief time when Gauss stole all her money had taught her nothing.

"Because Commander Beef is going to ask him for a favor, and Roll's worried that Lan and MegaMan might try to go on a risky mission without having us back him up, so she wanted us to find out what Beef wants." Maylu explained as the limo continued to drive.

"You mean so that Roll can make sure her boyfriend doesn't get scratched, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"I may be digital, but I can STILL HEAR YOU!" Roll pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed that Maylu and Yai were gossiping about her in front of her.

"Hey look; we're here!" Yai announced as the limo came to a halt. They got out of the limo and walked in, sitting at a table far away enough to not be seen, but close enough to spy on their targets.

"So what are they saying?" Roll whispered as her NetOp settled in.

"Sounds like Grave is having a secret meeting and disguising it as some kind of fancy galla. Apparently every rich person in town is supposed to attend." Turning to Yai, Maylu asked "You know anything about that Yai?"

"Yeah, there's some big costume party my father and I got invitations to. It said that we could extend the invite anyone we chose."

"Who cares about the party? Are they asking Lan and MegaMan to help them?" Roll hissed in Maylu's ear.

"Fortunately for you Roll, no; they think it's too dangerous. They just want him to ask Yai to invite them."

"Well if that's all they wanted, they could have just asked you" Dex murmured.

"Come on, let's crash their little meeting." Yai sauntered on ahead with Maylu and Dex following her. After Beef's loud request to speak to Yai, she interrupted "Lan doesn't have to; you're all invited!"

Commander Beef looked up to see the three netbattlers smiling down at him and jumped back in surprise. "What are you doing here; spying on us?"

"Like we'd need to; the whole place heard your plan!"

"You really think it's a good idea to have a secret meeting in a crowded restaurant?"

After sweatdropping at the remarks of how ill-planned his meeting was, Commander Beef murmured a brief thank you and shuffled out, with Black Rose and Mysteriyu following him.

 _The next day_

While Lan and the others were picking out their costumes, the NetNavis were conversing in the main network. Roll looked at MegaMan, his helmet off for a change and his face beaming with a smile as he walked in circles, humming a tune absentmindedly. "Someone's chipper today."

"And why wouldn't I be? Think about it; after tonight, Gauss will be arrested and Grave will be gone! No more FreezeMan, no more CutMan, no more MagnetMan, and no more world domination! It's almost too good to be true, Roll!"

 _Too good to be true…_ Roll suddenly felt a rush of unease. _What if something goes wrong and attacks tonight? Or worse, Mega tries to help and gets…_

"Roll, you okay? You look kind of down." Roll blushed when she felt MegaMan's hand against her forehead.

 _I'm probably just worrying too much…_ She removed MegaMan's hand from her face as she shook her head. "I'm fine, Mega. We should probably go check on Lan and Maylu. See you tonight, Mega!"

Watching her jack out, MegaMan jacked back to the PC, and saw that the e-mail from Commander Beef was still hanging up. "Huh, so that's how she knew where we were…"

 _That evening_

Everyone had arrived at the Gauss mansion; Lan and Dex were the most in character, eating like they were actual animals. This caused the Blue bomber to sigh and cover his eyes with his palm. "For goodness sake's Lan, could you not try to embarrass yourself, or me for that matter?"

Roll giggled from the privacy of her PET at Lan's antics, feeling some of the stress and worry drain from her systems. Snapping her fingers, her battle suit glowed before being replaced by a flowing light-pink dress, complete with similarly-colored glass slippers. _Alright; let's party!_

It was a good hour that Roll flowed around the network, enjoying herself and mingling with the other Navis that came with their NetOps to Gauss's party. "This is some party, right Mega?" When nno body answered, she looked around her. "Mega? Mega where are you?" Still no answer; Roll turned on the communication function in her helmet and called "Hey Maylu have you seen Lan anywhere? I can't find MegaMan!"

"He probably overstuffed on bananas or something and went to the bathroom. You know how much that boy can eat." Maylu waved off her Navi, going back to the party.

Roll sighed before terminating the connection, worry returning to her senses and overflowing her. Moments later, she heard small quakes in her ears, causing her to look up and see the familiar sight of blue armor walking in her direction. "Mega!" She tried running towards him, but stopped when he walked right past her. "Mega…"

"…Not in the mood Roll. I'm going home." MegaMan disappeared into data bits, jacking back to Lan's PC, and leaving the princess at the ball.

"Mega…" Tightening her fist, she wordlessly transformed back into her battle suit and followed his trail. Stopping at his door, she quietly twisted the doorknob and cracked the door open. What she saw shocked her; MegaMan was repeatedly punching the wall in front of him in a blind rage.

 _This isn't the MegaMan I know…what's wrong with him?_ Tears leaking from her eyes, she couldn't take it anymore; she rushed forward and grabbed his wrist with her head ribbons. Gasping, MegaMan turned to see who had grabbed him from behind, and his rage-filled expression faltered when he saw the pink girl before him. "Mega, stop! Whatever's going on, you don't need to be punching walls." Seeing him relax his fist, she retracted her ribbons and put her hands on his shoulders. "Tell me what's wrong; what happened?"

Sighing, MegaMan slumped to the floor in defeat. "Soon after Commander Beef and the others left, Lan got the idea that we should follow them and help to apprehend Gauss and MagnetMan. And I was so excited at the prospect of putting them away personally and burying Grave for good, that I foolishly agreed."

Roll looked at him in sympathy; she remembered how happy he had looked that afternoon, walking with such a spring in his step that he might as well have been dancing. He continued "Getting there was simple enough; Gauss's security Navis were a piece of cake. But when we got there, instead of trying to defeat us in a netbattle like we thought he would, he…" He shuddered, then felt Roll squeeze his hand in comfort. "He pressed a button and tried to drown everyone inside."

Hearing Roll's gasp, he looked up at her and said loathingly "Now do you see, Roll? Lan almost died because of my eagerness. If Maddy hadn't turned against Gauss and sent WackoMan to help, Lan would be dead. My actions were inexcusable; I should have tried to talk him out of it, not join in without even a moment's hesitation!" He ground his teeth, feeling shame and rage building up, every bit directed at himself.

His expression softened when he felt Roll's bare hand rest against his cheek. Looking up at her forgiving smile, he was rendered speechless as she countered "Mega, it wasn't your fault. Yes, you shouldn't have gone alone; you should have brought the rest of us with you. But if you hadn't acted, then Commander Beef, Black Rose, and Mysteriyu would have definitely drowned."

"But Gauss still got away; it doesn't matter whether this was my fault or not, because Grave's still out there."

"Grave's days are numbered; all Gauss did was stall the inevitable. We'll beat Gauss, we'll beat FreezeMan, we'll beat all of them. But you have to remember that you're not alone; we're all still a team, so we can all help you. You don't have to fight everyone by yourself, Mega!"

She removed his helmet and pulled him into an embrace, running her hand through his blue hair. Smiling, MegaMan felt his energy draining, the day's events taking their toll, and the embrace lulling him to slumber. Roll smiled at seeing his peaceful expression before picking him up and carrying him to his bed in the corner. Laying him down and pulling the sheet over him, she lay a kiss on his cheek before walking out the door. Glancing back at him, before closing the door she whispered "Pleasant drams, Mega."


	20. Chapter Twenty: Power Control

A/N: Well, here's Chapter 20; based mostly off of episode 20 of season 2 of MegaMan NT Warrior. First, a quick shoutout to Hi I'm Lulu, I'm glad you liked the humor bit. I don't really know why Lan would want a lion either; I blame the english dubbers. I'm also glad that you enjoy the support I portray MegaxRoll giving each other. It's good to know that I'm doing the pair justice. Anyways, shoutout over, so enjoy!

Chapter Twenty: Power Control

After Maddy's betrayal forced Gauss to flee, Grave's activity had slipped back under the radar. As such, the next couple of months had been uneventful, save for a brief incident where Princess Pride had called upon Lan for help in finding a traitorous Navi, and had subsequently knighted him, much to Maylu's chagrin. After that they went home, the one crisis defused and life returning to some semblance of normalcy.

The absence of cyber terror incidents by Gauss and FreezeMan led to the group of friends actually having fun with something other than deleting viruses. A transfer student by the name of Kyuuta had just entered their class due to his father being transferred to the Tokyo Senators baseball team. Feeling sorry for the visibly upset boy, Lan got the idea to use NetCity's battle arena to connect Kyuuta with the baseball team from his last school and play netball. Everyone quickly came on board, except for one pink navi…

A couple weeks ago

"...so that way, Kyuuta won't feel lonely anymore, and he'll be happy again!" MegaMan explained Lan's plan to Roll in the school common while Lan was in class. Roll sweatdropped as MegaMan clenched his fists in a similar gesture to how he recounted the baseball game yesterday morning.

"...Mega, it's a nice thought, but even if you can get the entire team from his old school on the net at the same time, how are you going to get another team to play against Kyuuta?"

"That's why all of our friends have volunteered to be the other team; we even got Commander Beef, Mysteriyu, and Black Rose to join!"

Roll cocked an eyebrow in surprise at that last statement. "Mega, how did you get three Net Agents, who are looking for Grave, to agree to waste a day playing baseball?"

"I called in a favor that the Commander promised me for saving his life from Gauss." MegaMan smiled proudly at his accomplishment, causing Roll to facepalm.

First he becomes so guilty he becomes anti-social, now he laughs and grins at it. Go figure!

Before she could say anymore, MegaMan adopted a more sheepish and shy expression before continuing "But we're still one player short, and..." MegaMan pulled out a glove from behind him and finished "I think you might be a good pitcher."

Wh...What?! For once, Roll was speechless; Mega wanted Roll, the very member of their group with practically no interest in what she and Maylu saw as a guy's game, to be a part of their baseball team. "B...but Mega, I don't even know how to play baseball. Sure...surely you must know someone else who can play!"

"I'll show you the ropes, Roll; baseball's easy! And besides, it's not like we're facing deletion if we lose; this is just a way to cheer Kyuuta up. Please, Roll?"

Whatever intentions to refuse Roll may have had were blown away by his childlike stare. Curse those adorable green eyes… "Oh, alright; I'll pitch for you Mega."

MegaMan's face lit up like a christmas tree as he grabbed her hand and dragged her away, causing her to yelp as he yelled "Come on then; let's get this show on the road!"

Despite her initial resistance to playing, Roll couldn't help but smile as she saw MegaMan giddily drag her along, a blush forming on her face. Maybe this won't be so bad after all…

End Flashback

As it turned out, Roll had more fun playing than she thought she would. Not enough to get psyched like MegaMan and GutsMan did, but enough to enjoy playing a casual game every now and again.

With Grave continuing to be absent from the news, most of the gang's conversations generally made their way towards casual netbattling, until rumors of the Extracodes circulated through the net. It wasn't long before the gang decided to go to NetCity and search for discarded data in hopes that they might find some more tangible information about the Extracodes.

Unfortunately, actually finding the data was more of a challenge than they thought. Roll was scanning the World Data Exchange with her ribbons, but because of the vast quantity of data to search through, her sensors were overwhelmed. Finally she couldn't take anymore and janked her head away from the data stream, fighting the urge to rub her aching forehead. Duo, it's like I've been reading the dictionary for a week straight! "I'm trying to scan the data, but there's just so much of it!"

MegaMan and GutsMan came forward to help, and Glyde opened a stream of overflow data and started sifting through it, before nearly being crushed by and losing a piece of dense data. After being saved by Rush, Glyde analyzed it and revealed that it was a piece of video data and played it on everyone's PET screens.

When they saw Commander Beef being pushed out of his moon base, the group resolved to go to the Space STation to try and help. Though Yai and Tory questioned how they could help and how to get in, they set out after the Famous Mr. Famous hacked into their communication and promised them entry.

Just before stepping into the main control room, Famous sent Lan the very thing he was looking for, the Extracode, but warned him to only use it in emergencies. Roll then tapped MegaMan's shoulder and murmured "Hey Mega, I have a bad feeling about this. How do we know we can trust this Famous guy?"

MegaMan grimaced as he said "Well, with the Commander in danger of running out of air, we kind of don't have a choice. And he wouldn't have given the Extracode to just anyone. Besides, he doesn't sound evil or conniving, just cocky maybe."

"...Point taken." Roll couldn't argue with that, but before they could continue their conversation, they entered the control room, where after a fiasco with the security guards were let in my Mysteriyu and Black Rose. Unfortunately, only two ports to the moon were active, so only MegaMan and GutsMan could go. Roll looked down, disappointed that she couldn't support her friend, until she heard a bark at her feet. Smiling, she patted Rush's head and asked "Go with them, will you Rush? Keep Mega safe." Rush barked in the affirmative, then disappeared, leaving MEgaMan and GutsMan to save the Commander. Good luck, Mega!

The mission had been a success, with Commander Beef expected to arrive back on Earth by the end of the week. Lan had beamed MegaMan to his PC for a little R & R and everyone went home.

Several hours later, Roll was walking through the cyberspace channels, intending to pay MegaMan a visit. She wanted to congratulate him on a job well done, and she also wanted to get a recount of what happened; with the action only viewable on Lan's PET, Roll was unable to see what was happening from Maylu's PET, so she resigned herself to waiting until he got back.

At last she arrived at the familiar blue door, and knocked. Ten seconds passed, and no answer. Gently she twisted the knob and creaked the door open. "Mega?" She called, just barely louder than a whisper. Closing the door behind her, she tiptoed in, careful not to make a sound as she looked for the Blue Bomber.

Eventually she found him, snoozing on the bed and lightly snoring. Roll covered her mouth to muffle her giggle. Duo, he looks so adorable! She quietly approached him, her hand subconsciously wandering to his emblem. When she touched it however, her mind zoomed, waking to see a battlefield on the moon…

Earlier that evening

"Send it; there's no other choice!" A scorched MegaMan groaned as he struggled to stand.

"Then let's crack this code; ready?!" Lan pressed a button on the PET's screen and watched as the Extracode's data altered MegaMan's form and changed him to a new style; the AquaCustom Style.

With both of them energized, Lan sent a pair of Spreader battlechips to MegaMan, and to their surprise, the Custom Style turned them into Program Advances. Unbelievable! MegaMan aimed at PlanetMan and yelled "HYPER BURST!" A blue beam burst from his reconfigured arms, disintegrating PlanetMan and ending his control on the base. As MegaMan went to hit the release button, he suddenly felt drained. What...what's happening to me? Losing his balance, he fell onto his back, reverting to his normal style and his data starting to dissolve.

"MEGAMAN!"

End flashback

Roll's hand jerked back as she was brought back to the present. She gasped as though she was waking up from her worst nightmare, which in an odd way she was. She stepped backwards until her back hit the wall, her eyes never leaving the snoozing Navi mere feet from her.

Mega...I almost lost Mega...and it wasn't even to Grave! Her knees buckled and gave way, causing her to slide into a sitting position against the wall. A tear streamed down her cheek, then another, and another. This continued until her eyes were practically waterfalls, the tears staining her cheeks and dampening her suit. A rogue Navi and a stupid code nearly got him deleted again. She flashed back to his deletion at the hands of PharaohMan at the N1 Grand Prix, the only other time she felt this miserable. She brought her knees to her face and rested her head in her palms, letting her hands rest on her knees as she finally made her sobs audible, not caring who heard her.

The blue navi stirred, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eye with his fist. He reached up and took his helmet off, letting his blue hair out and tossing it to the side. He grimaced as he heard a faint noise, a pitiful noise. Is that...someone crying. It sounds like...like...His eyes widened as he looked around the room, trying to find the source of the noise in his PC. Soon enough, he found Roll, curled up in the corner and sobbing her heart out. All earlier notion of fatigue aside, he sprang up and gently walked over to her. "Roll?"

Roll gasped at the voice speaking to her. "M...Mega?" She asked, half sobbing.

Touching the tips of her fingers with his own, he asked "What happened? How long have you been here?"

A moment of silence passed before Roll hiccuped "An...an hour, I think."

I must have been asleep… MegaMan removed her helmet and tossed it next to his own and gently grasped the sides of her head, tilting her face so that she was looking at him. He gently pried her hands from her eyes and she offered no resistance. "Why don't we talk on the bed or something? It's much more comfortable than this floor..."

Roll smiled at MegaMan's attempt at a sense of humor and nodded, grasping his hands as he pulled her up. They walked over to and sat on the side of the bed. A minute of silence passed, both content to just sit there, MegaMan rubbing the tops of her hands in comfort and Roll looking down at their laps in shy embarrassment. Eventually Roll broke it and started explaining herself.

"I had come by to congratulate you on your victory today, but when I came by, you were asleep. My hand had accidently touched your emblem, and I guess it must have activated my scanning abilities, because before I knew it I was witnessing you battle a Navi that looked like an oversized Globe."

"PlanetMan...I was battling PlanetMan..."

"I started at the point where you were losing, and Lan activated the Extracode, and you deleted PlanetMan. But then you collapsed and started disintegrating."

"The AquaCustom Style...that's the Extracode's power..." MegaMan murmured. "It bestows great power, but it drains your energy so quickly that you run the risk of deletion. I would have been deleted if SharkMan hadn't shared his energy with me..."

At this, Roll's serenity broke; tears leaked anew and while sobbing, she banged her fist against MegaMan's suit, just inches away from his emblem. "Y...you idiot. Do you have any idea how hard your deletion was for us the last time? And to see you almost get deleted again, all because of a stupid code? I...I..."

Roll's speech turned into incoherent babble as she struggled to find the words. MegaMan frowned as he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her head to rest against his emblem. "Roll, believe me, I don't seek my own deletion. You and the others are too precious to me to want to leave so quickly. And I promise, I won't use it again unless it's another life or death circumstance."

But Roll shook her head against MegaMan's emblem, not satisfied. "Th...that's not good enough Mega! Promise me you'll never use it again, period. I couldn't bear it if you were deleted, no matter what the situation is. We'll find another way to overcome the odds, but the Extracode is like a poison, and I won't lose you to it."

As she sobbed against him, MegaMan acquiesced "Alright Roll...I promise."

Roll smiled as she lifted her head away, satisfied with his answer. MegaMan removed his gloves and wiped her tear tracks with his thumbs. Looking at the clock on the PC, he remarked "It's really late. How about I walk you home?"

Roll smiled sheepishly. "I'd...I'd like that..." She took his hand and gingerly stepped forward, leading their exit out of the room as their gloves and helmets lay forgotten.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: The Beast

Chapter Twenty-One: The Beast

 _Everything seems so peaceful right now...almost like the calm before the storm…_ Roll thought as she reflected on the peace that DenTech City enjoyed. Yet despite the fact that Grave hadn't shown its face in weeks, Roll was more uneasy than ever. _Every time we get some peace, it seems like something new shatters it…_

Yet when she looked at her blue companion, she couldn't help but feel her worries melt away. _Ah, I'm probably just being a worrywart. There's no way Grave can come back; not with Gauss still on an iceberg..._

A few weeks ago, Rush had eavesdropped on a video file left by Dr. Wily to the former members of World Three, giving directions to a microchip with his intelligence coded into it. From there, it became a race between the gang of NetBattlers, World Three, and Gauss to secure it. It was eventually revealed that Gauss and Count Zap were brothers, and with Lan on board, the three fought for the chip, even when Gauss's blimp started bursting into flames and sinking into the Arctic Sea.

Yai had saved Lan and MegaMan with her submarine, but Gauss and Zap weren't so lucky. Zap eventually decided to take his chances and swim to the nearest dock, but Gauss's pride as a wealthy businessman caused him to wait on that iceberg, and nobody had heard from his since. Most assumed he had died of starvation, and without a business leader to finance its oferations, many assumed Grave was finished.

Not long after that, Roll entered MegaMan's PC in a friendly visit, and her mouth hung out at the scene before her eyes; dimmed lights, a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, every Navi they had ever met and some they didn't, and MegaMan wildly dancing to the music. _Mega...reserved, focused, sweet Mega, is partying like a wild animal?!_

Before she could think anymore, MegaMan's eyes twinkled as he saw her. Before she knew it, he had raced over, and grasped her hands in his own. A blush spreading across her face, she was taken aback at MegaMan's exclamation "Roll! You're just in time for the party!"

Roll yelped as he dragged her over to an unpopulated corner of the room, a gleeful smile on his face. Before she could say anything though, Roll felt herself being lifted up by the waist and twirled around. "MEGA! PUT ME DOWN!" Roll yelled, half laughing, and just noticing the sheer quantity of happiness in MegaMan's eyes. As the rush of jubilancy simmered down and MegaMan stopped twirling her, Roll took a moment to regain her center of balance before asking "Alright Mega; what in the world is going on? What's with the party that Lan is way too young for? Why did I not know about this until just now?" _Why are you suddenly so forward? It takes a lot for you to even initiate a hug with me!_

Spinning around, the Blue Bomber exclaimed "Isn't it obvious? Grave's gone, Roll! We needed to celebrate, now that Gauss and the others are out!" He grabbed her hand and yanked her again, causing her to yelp. "Come on; dance with me!"

Throwing any inhibitions she had before, Roll took off her helmet and tossed it to the side, getting lost in MegaMan's twirling motions as she smiled as wide a grin as her partner was wearing. Their foreheads touched as their arms wrapped around each other's necks.

After the party however returned their mutual shyness; with the jubilancy of the moment gone, both of them were left with the same thought _What just happened?_ With both embarrassed by how they acted in front of the other, and neither wanting to subject themselves to further embarrassment by talking about it, they had opted to let the incident fade away to their dreams.

Not long after that was Yai's Ayanotech Grand Prix, which Rush had somehow won, leaving Lan to complain about how Rush should be disqualified. MegaMan had convinced him to let the matter drop, leaving the next couple weeks with a peaceful, if not boring, feeling. With nothing to do, the gang of NetBattlers decided to take a trip to NetCity.

After jacking in, MegaMan exclaimed "Wow, it sure is great to be back in NetCity, don't you think?" After GutsMan recommended that they go to the colosseum, MegaMan ran ahead, ignoring his friends' cries to slow down.

At last he slowed down when they got to the entrance, and the others caught up with him, panting. "MegaMan...next time wait for us!"

MegaMan smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck before replying "Sorry, guys."

Roll smiled at her companion's antics before looking around and asking "Hey; where'd Rush go?"

Indeed, the dog virus was nowhere to be found. Nonchalantly, MegaMan replied "He probably just went back to Lan's place and get more food. He'll be fine."

 _I'm probably worrying too much..._ Roll followed MegaMan and the others into the colosseum where they witnessed ShiningMan defeat WhaleMan in a match. Soon after, MegaMan jumped down into the arena, where he was surprised to see ThunderMan as his opponent. After a heated battle, their match ended in a draw.

Stepping out of the arena, MegaMan introduced to his friends "Guys, this is ThunderMan; I met him and his operator Raoul during our trip around the world."

Roll was the first to approach him, bowing her head and saying "Pleasure to meet you, ThunderMan. What brings you to NetCity?"

At this, the electric Navi looked pensive and paused before replying "Unfortunately, nothing good. May we speak in private?"

MegaMan nodded, following ThunderMan to the balcony before stopping, as ThunderMan revealed "For the past few days, there's been a spike in the disappearance of NetNavis worldwide." As the gang gasped in astonishment, he continued "That's why we're here; we're looking for a missing friend. Just the other day, my friend disappeared...from NETCITY!"

"FROM HERE?" Roll shuddered as the news hit her. _If Navis are disappearing from even here, then nowhere is safe._ MegaMan wrapped his arm around her protectively, bringing her closer to him and silently telling her that nobody was going to harm her. She stopped shuddering as ThunderMan and Raoul continued to dispense information.

Suddenly, a large rumble rocked the balcony. "What was that?!"

"Whatever it is, it sounds like it's getting closer!"

Roll and MegaMan stared in awe as what could only be described as a giant black hound burst into the arena, deleting WhaleMan and ShiningMan and absorbing their data. "WHALEMAN! SHININGMAN!" MegaMan jumped down into the arena, with Roll and the others following suit to see what they were up against. Before long, ProtoMan had beamed in, to everyone's surprise.

It was then that Roll gazed around and gasped at the next horrific sight; Rush was scrambling around, trying get out of it's ear. "Oh no; that beast has Rush now too!"

Despite the hopeless situation, MegaMan laid a hand on her shoulder and assured her "We'll get her back, Roll." Before they could act any more, the Beast tossed MegaMan and ProtoMan behind it like bugs. ThunderMan valiantly tried to take on the Beast, but all it succeeded in doing was making it itch and charring Rush. Once Rush was tossed aside, the Beast attacked and bit down on ThunderMan, deleting his data. _THUNDERMAN!_ MegaMan clenched his fist as he stared in rage at ThunderMan's murderer. "No, how dare you do that to ThunderMan!" He charged at the Beast, yelling "Time to face the power of MEGA-"

His battle cry was cut short, as he was swatted away. _MEGA!_ Roll watched in horror as not even ProtoMan was able to stop the Beast. "Oh no; they're doomed!" The Beast walked forward, ready to devour its next meal, as tears streamed down Roll's face, reliving her past nightmare of MegaMan's deletion.

Thankfully, the Beast stopped when a Navi in a yellow cape, a blue cross on his forehead, and fins attached to the side of his head intervened. The two engaged in a staring contest, until the Beast vanished without a trace, with the mystery Navi following suit. _Thank goodness! Who was that Navi?_

 _An hour later_

Roll looked around; most of the gang had jacked out back to their respective PCs, with the exception of her and the Blue Bomber. She spotted MegaMan crouched against one of the walls that the Beast hadn't demolished. Roll looked at him sympathetically and thought _Well I should probably bring him home…_ She walked over to him and kneeled down, lightly shaking his shoulder. "Mega? Mega it's time to get out of here." She was greeted by a few sniffles from her young companion. Sighing, Roll removed her gloves and angled his face up, using her thumbs to wipe away the tear tracks she found on his face. "Mega, what's wrong?"

 _What's wrong? What's wrong?_ MegaMan chuckled darkly at how Roll was trying to cheer him up. "Roll, you saw how powerful that Beast was. Tell me, what organization do we know of that has the resources to create such a monstrosity?"

Of course Roll knew the answer to that; it had been on everyone's mind since the Beast left. "...Grave"

MegaMan nodded as he replied "Yes, Grave. I thought Grave was finished, and I spent my time celebrating when I could have been checking to see if anyone was trying to take charge of it. Maybe if I did, then..."

"Then what, Mega? Gauss was trapped on an iceberg, and Zap told us that he refused to try to swim to shore. None of us had any reason to think that Grave might return. What could have possibly happened if you had tried to investigate some far-fetched lead?"

"...Then ThunderMan and those missing Navis would still be here..." Roll sighed; she knew that this wouldn't be something a simple hug would fix. And she had a feeling that MegaMan would find every reason to blame himself and take responsibility for the situation. MegaMan continued "Tomorrow I'm going to go see if I can track down any leads as to what this Beast is and if there's any way to defeat it. And Roll," MegaMan looked up at her, his trademark stare of intensity drawn on his face. "I want you to stay in your PET for now. Until this monster is stopped, nobody is safe. Stay safe, Roll. Please."

She couldn't believe her ears; MegaMan was asking her to run and hide while he went to stop a monster that swatted him away like a fly. Deep down, she wasn't really surprised; MegaMan had often tried to take on the whole world on his own, but she had usually convinced him to do otherwise. _After all the times I told him I was there for him, after all the times that I told him he didn't have to take on everyone by himself, he has the gall to tell me to duck and hide like a coward while he goes on a suicide mission?_

Roll couldn't take it anymore; she drew her hand back and slapped his cheek. While MegaMan nursed his wounded cheek and stared at her in shock, Roll exclaimed "You're not the only one who feels bad about this, Mega. Of course I wish that we had seen this coming, and that we could have stopped it. But it's done, and now we have a chance to fix it. But not if you insist on doing everything yourself. You CAN'T beat this thing on yourself; remember how it swatted you away last time?" MegaMan looked down as the truth hit him, his green eyes starting to shimmer with tears. Roll sighed and continued "There's a way to beat this thing, but only if we work together. If you try to take this thing on by yourself, all you'll succeed in doing is getting yourself deleted again, and ThunderMan will have been deleted in vain. Is that what you want, Mega?"

"...No. I...I'm sorry, Roll." MegaMan sniffled as the tears came back, streaming down his face as he leaned forward, embracing Roll and burying his face in her emblem.

Roll looked at him with pity she returned the embrace, stroking his back as she tried to calm him down. "It's okay, Mega. I know you meant well, and we'll find a way to come out on top. Shhh, it's okay."

At last, MegaMan stopped crying, barely conscious as he separated from Roll just enough to look at her face. She smiled a comforting smile and said "How about I take you back home? We can regroup tomorrow." The Blue Bomber only nodded as Roll jacked them back to Lan's PC, disappearing in a swirl of blue data bits.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Lost Rival

A/N: Well, only one more chapter left before we reach the end of this part of my MegaRoll series. I'll be publishing the next part, titled MegaRoll Axess, hopefully within the next month. Anyways, this chapter is based off of the 21st episode of season 2 of MegaMan NT Warrior. Before we begin, I have a couple of shoutouts to make. First, to Zekky-Reshi-Kyu; I'm glad you like this series. Keep an eye out for the next part when this concludes next chapter. Next, to Hi I'm Lulu; In all honesty, I felt that I probably could have done better with portraying MegaMan's uncharacteristic jubilancy than I ended up writing in that scene, but hopefully the cuteness of the dance scene made up for it. I'm glad that I was able to adequately convey MegaMan's stress, and I hope this chapter continues to do that. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Lost Rival

"So, you gotta go already?"

"Yeah, business before pleasure, you know..." ProtoMan and MegaMan had agreed to meet up on a rooftop to try and share information, but other than giving the new foe the moniker VirusBeast, they knew nothing more than they did back at the arena.

"I understand. I was hoping you and I could figure out why that beast is attacking NetCity. We've gotta stop that thing!" Despite the smile on his face, MegaMan felt terror at the thought of an opponent that he couldn't even touch.

"Sorry, but a BlazeQuest Navi went missing; all we found was his briefcase."

"Just disappeared?"

"Yeah; so watch yourself." Unlike ProtoMan's usual business-only tone, this warning held a touch of concern for his rival.

"Thanks, Protoman; same goes for you. Be careful!" After watching ProtoMan disappear, the Blue Bomber thought Very Careful!

Alone on the rooftop, MegaMan climbed down the fire escape, to meet Roll at the bottom. The pink navi insisted on coming with him, not wanting to leave him to wander on his own. Not wanting to have to nurse two slapped cheeks, MegaMan acquiesced, walking hand-in-hand to the meeting place.

Noting her companion's reappearance, she turned to face him and asked "So how did it go?"

"Other than a name, ProtoMan knows no more than we do right now."

Roll noticed how the frustration oozed in MegaMan's voice and rested a hand on his still-sore cheek, startling him and making him flinch. "Mega, we're gonna find this beast, and we're gonna find out what its weakness is, and we're gonna beat it. So relax, okay? I know it's hard just waiting around, but trust me. We'll all search tomorrow afternoon as a team, but you need to be patient, Mega."

Letting out a sigh he didn't even know he had, MegaMan smiled and acquiesced "Alright Roll. Promise."

Roll removed her hand from his face and grabbed his hand, blushing, then jacked them to Maylu's PC.

The next day

Other than the feeling of tension and worry that permeated them since the VirusBeast appeared, the day was strangely normal; school came and went, with MegaMan calming Lan down using similar words that Roll had used to calm him down. When this is over, I owe her a big thank you… MegaMan thought as Ms. Mari called on Lan to answer the question on the board.

Once school got out, the gang headed to Yai's treehouse to get to NetCity. MegaMan tried to jack in straight from the school's servers, but Roll yanked him back to the PET before he could get anywhere. "Not a chance, Mega. We're doing this TOGETHER, okay?"

MegaMan nodded, his face looking like the little kid who was caught sticking his hand in the cookie jar. Satisfied, Roll released his arm and waited until Maylu and the others jacked them into NetCity. Reforming in the center of town, Roll looked around; contrary to their first visit to the digital city, NetCity was now abandoned, pieces of rubble strewn along the roads, and no sign of activity. "I can't believe it. NetCity's a ghost town..."

"And it'll stay that way unless we find some trace of that VirusBeast. Let's split up; we'll cover more ground that way!" MegaMan dashed off on the first road that he saw, leaving the others in his dust.

"MegaMan, come back!" Roll tried to chase after him, but a gigantic hand dragged her the other way. She looked up to see GutsMan grabbing her by the arm. "GutsMan, let me go!"

"He's already gone, Guts. You'll never catch up to him, Guts." Seeing Roll's forlorn expression, GutesMan assured her "MegaMan can take care of himself; we'll meet up again in a few, Guts."

Roll gave a resigned expression and sighed. GutsMan let go of her arm and allowed her to lead them on the road they were walking on. I hope you're right, GutsMan. I hope you're right.

As it turned out, GutsMan was correct. After an excruciatingly long half hour of searching, she spotted the familiar blue pack and gasped. "MegaMan, stay where you are!"

"How'd it go?"

He runs off and the first thing out of his mind is how'd it go? Pushing aside her frustration, she reported "No chance of the missing NetNavis."

Glyde and IceMan approached them soon after, and reported that they couldn't find anything either, with Glyde pondering whether or not the Navis were still in the city. MegaMan closed his eyes, but Roll could easily discern the look of frustrated despair on his face. "We gotta look. Let's all split up and search again!"

The others reluctantly nodded, with all of them going their separate ways. Before leaving with GutsMan, Roll looked over her shoulder; MegaMan was standing still in the intersection. "Be careful, Mega..." Roll murmured before catching up with GutsMan.

Not long after, she looked up to see a giant building freezing over and rising into the sky. "What...what's happening?" Mega better not be anywhere near there… Activating the chat feature on her helmet, she caught a few words over the com. "FreezeMan. Bass. MegaMan."

"Yai, can you track MegaMan's location?" She heard Tory ask over the connection.

Her knees almost buckled as the implications ran through her processor. Mega's...missing? After Yai found the coordinates, Roll beamed at Maylu's suggestion that they send Roll and the others to go find their missing partner, but growled at Yai's revelation that he was behind an unbreakable firewall. Unbreakable?! We'll see how unbreakable it is when I'm done with it!

Before she could go trying to pound the firewall into letting her through, Lan exclaimed "I've got it; listen up! We're gonna get World Three to help!"

Roll seethed with anger. "Lan, do you have any idea what you're suggesting? These are the guys who caused us all trouble and nearly deleted MegaMan on numerous occasions. They tried to resurrect Dr. Wily so that they could take over the world. And now you want us to go and beg for their help? FORGET IT!"

Maylu took a deep breath and tried to calm her Navi down. "Roll, what choice do we have? As much as I hate to admit it, they're our best chance at getting into wherever MegaMan's been taken. With all the trouble they've caused before, they know how to get past security systems, and stealth is what we need right now. Besides, right now they're pretty harmless; they're operating a curry shop for pete's sake!"

Roll reddened as all her reasons for walking out of an alliance with World Three came crumbling down. Turning around, she acquiesced "Alright, fine. But the instant they try anything, they go down!" Maylu and Lan nodded, running with the rest of the group to board Yai's chopper, flying straight to #1 Curry.

An Hour later

The former members of World Three were riding towards their old base in Yai's helicopter. They all denied being up to any malicious activity when questioned on the way, even when a new program was revealed to be running from the base's still-functional computer. Before Roll could become agitated enough to attempt to interrogate their Navis, Tory suggested that they focus on getting MegaMan back.

With that, everyone jacked in, and Roll turned around to see ElecMan, WackoMan, and MagicMan. Not you! Roll thought, and GutsMan vocalized.

"It's cool; we want to help out too!" ElecMan and WackoMan tried to diffuse any tension and suspicion aimed at them.

Before Roll could object, Glyde decided "Well then, for now we call a truce."

"This place isn't exactly how we left it; someone redecorated" MagicMan mused as he looked around.

I forgot how much I hated this guy's rhyming… Giving a glare of suspicion at her temporary allies, Roll murmured "Let's go" before turning around and leading the group. Slowing down, she hissed "Glyde, why are we trusting them; for all we know they could've joined forces with Grave and are planning to delete us all once we find MegaMan!"

Keeping his voice to a whisper, Glyde murmured "We don't trust them; not completely anyways. But without them, we had no chance of cracking the firewall to MegaMan; that's why we called a truce. Besides" Glyde paused, turning to WackoMan before turning back to Roll "Didn't MegaMan say that WackoMan and Maddy turned against Grave?"

Roll kept silent, her argument blown away, eventually murmuring "Let's just get back to finding MegaMan..." She walked ahead of Glyde, her boots leaving quakes in the cyber ground.

The group continued walking in silence, until they saw the Navi that stopped the VirusBeast. What's he doing here? Her gaze wandered as she saw the familiar blue Navi laying on a pedestal. "MegaMan!" She yelled as they ran closer, attracting the mysterious Navi's attention. "MegaMan."

"You're the Navi called Bass, I presume!" ElecMan shouted after they stopped.

Bass? That's his name? Roll pondered as she took in the Navi, feeling uncomfortable with how close he was to MegaMan.

"What have you done with MegaMan?" Glyde shouted uncharacteristically.

Turning to the group, Bass hissed "I've finished with your MegaMan, that's what I've done. Take him..."

Finished with him? If you harmed him in any way, I'll…

Before Roll could mentally threaten Bass any longer, he glowed and disappeared as he declared "At last; I have the final piece of the puzzle!"

"He's gone..." IceMan murmured, in awe of the Navi named Bass.

Shaking her head, Roll ran forward to the pedestal, her hands resting on the edge of the pedestal. She looked down at the Navi below her; MegaMan's face still had a healthy hue and he had no signs of injuries. Whatever Bass had done, it was apparent that he hadn't sought to harm MegaMan. "He looks like he's sleeping..."

She started to reach out to touch him, but before she could reach his emblem, MegaMan's face contorted as though he was having a nightmare. He lurched forward, yelling "PROTOMAN!"

Gasping for breath, he turned to see Roll next to him, who simply murmured with relief "You're awake!" She laid a hand on the still gasping MegaMan's back for support. "Take it easy, MegaMan."

At last he stopped, his breathing returning to normal as his eyes wandered to his former nemeses. "What...what's World Three doing here?"

"They wanted to help, so we formed a temporary truce" Glyde explained, MegaMan nodding at the explanation in acceptance. "MegaMan, what happened? How did Bass capture you?"

"I remember we split up, and then I sensed something familiar nearby. I followed it, and I found Bass absorbing random bits of data. I saw him do the same thing before, when I first came to NetCity, but I thought it was just my imagination."

Bass was around that long? What on earth was he doing…

Before Roll could ponder any longer, MegaMan continued "Anyways, I confronted him, but before I could get any answers out of him, FreezeMan appeared and fought Bass. As I tried to catch up, HeatMan appeared and distracted FreezeMan. Once I got to the top of the building, Bass appeared in front of me and surrounded us with his cloak." MegaMan held his forehead in his hand as he finished "The rest is just a blur; I remember seeing flashbacks of the PharaohMan incident, but I have no idea what happened between our disappearance and my little nap."

Roll rubbed his back in comfort and comforted "It's okay; that part's probably irrelevant anyways, now that we know how you disappeared." In truth, she didn't want to be reminded of the PharaohMan incident, and thought it would be best for them to move on from that subject.

Glyde coughed and interrupted "MegaMan, when you woke up, you shouted ProtoMan's name. What caused you to do that?"

MegaMan pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to focus on why he had screamed out ProtoMan's name. Finally, he gasped as he remembered the vision he saw that woke him up.

Moments ago

Protoman screamed in pain as he was caught in the maw of the VirusBeast, trying in vain to get away as NetCity was deleted around them. Eventually, his body fell limp as he disintegrated, meeting the same fate as ThunderMan before him. The VirusBeast roared in triumph as it jumped away, searching for its next prey.

End flashback

"I...I had a vision after Bass left..." MegaMan gasped, his face once again contorted in anguish as he recounted what he saw. "ProtoMan...ProtoMan's gone; deleted too. That cursed VirusBeast! Curse Grave!" MegaMan slammed his fist on the pedestal as he held back his tears.

Wordlessly, Roll grabbed his hand as she led him away from the group until they had some measure of privacy. GutsMan tried to follow, but Glyde held him back. Shaking his head, Glyde explained "Those two need to be alone for now. MegaMan needs to be at full capacity if he's going to lead us to victory, and she's the only one who can bring him back to his senses..."

Eventually, Roll stopped, still holding MegaMan's hand. Letting go of his hand, MegaMan was just starting to come out of his daze as Roll cradled his face in her hands and asked "...Are you okay, Mega?"

Blushing, MegaMan grasped her hands and removed them from his face, huffing "Does it really matter if I'm okay, Roll? That VirusBeast is out there, causing real damage. The world can't wait for me to be "okay!""

Turning away from her and attempting to march back to the others, he was stopped in his tracks as he felt a tug on his arm. Looking down, he saw Roll's head ribbons wrapped around his bicep. He yelped when she tugged hard enough for him to lose his footing, causing him to fall against her. Unwrapping her ribbons from his arm, Roll said "Mega, this isn't some random virus you can beat with your eyes closed; we need you at full strength if you're gonna lead us to victory. But right now, you're so distraught that you're in no condition to leave this room." A sad grimace appearing on her face, she laid a hand on MegaMan's cheek. "Mega...tell me what's wrong..."

A tear fell, followed by more; the wall he had put up to hide his emotions broken. "I'm sick of it, Roll. First we lose ThunderMan, now ProtoMan. They were my rivals, I respected them, and now they're gone, all because they stood up to Grave. Is this what the future holds; for us to lose everything we have at the hands of Grave?"

Roll wrapped her arms around the blue navi, letting him cry silently into her shoulder. Rubbing his back, she whispered in his ear "Mega, I know, I know it all seems hopeless. But it's not; I told you that we'd find a way to defeat the VirusBeast, and we will. ProtoMan and ThunderMan may be deleted, but they're not completely gone; you carry their fighting spirit in your memory. Let their sacrifices give you strength, and show Grave what happens when they mess with you!"

The tears ceased as MegaMan pulled away from her, an embarrassed smile on his face as he tried to wipe the evidence from his face. "Thanks Roll. I'm alright now."

Roll smiled, confident that MegaMan's confidence had been restored. An image of Chaud appeared in the lair, a grim expression on his face. MegaMan's face formed a determined expression as he grabbed Roll's hand. "Let's end this, once and for all!"

Nodding, Roll wrapped her hand tighter around his, as they walked to rejoin the others, and take the first step to reversing the damage Grave had committed.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three: Afraid of Power

A/N: Well, here's the final chapter for this part of my MegaMan NT Warrior series. Be on the lookout for the next story in the series, MegaRoll Axess, in the coming days. In the meantime, I'd appreciate any reviews or input you might have as to how this fic went and if there's anything that could be improved upon for the next iteration. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Afraid of Power

Roll looked on as she approached the glass tank surrounding the unconscious Blue Bomber, the special containment field the only thing keeping his data from disintegrating. Green dots and black rust covered nearly every inch of his armor. Roll laid a bare hand against the glass, tears freely leaking from her eyes. But she didn't care; her only concern was the blue Navi in pain and on the verge of deletion. _Why?_ She sniffled. _Why, Mega?_ _Why did this happen…_

 _An hour earlier_

It had been going so well; MegaMan and the others had made it past Grave's firewall and into Grave's headquarters. Grave's security Navis were easy targets for the team of Navis, with MegaMan leading with the most "log-outs", an angry and passionate expression plastered on his face. Roll looked at him after the battle was done, feeling sorry about the emotional pain required to make the normally docile MegaMan so ferocious. While watching his sword disappear and reforming his arm, it delayed for a moment. _What was that?_ After a moment though, it quickly reformed. _Maybe I was just imagining things._

She followed MegaMan into the room where they saw Navis adorn the walls, all of them unconscious. Cautiously following MegaMan, she stepped forward, and fell along with her friends into a hole. Yelling in surprise, they tumbled in freefall for a few minutes before landing in a cage. Roll was immediately filled with dread; the scratchmarks lining the walls could only fit one being; the VirusBeast.

Before she could contemplate any further, two large magnets blasted forward at lightning speed, trapping her and the others against the wall, save for MegaMan. MagnetMan then came down and revealed himself, battling MegaMan who fended him off with the WoodShield Style. Suddenly, MegaMan groaned in pain, black rust covering the edge of his shield and green dots covering his arms. _No, Mega!_

From there everything happened so fast; World Three coming into the cage, the revelation of Dr. Wily as the force behind Grave and Bass as PharaohMan's soul, and Bass's deletion by the VirusBeast. Even MegaMan was rendered helpless; his arm fracturing and glowing, the powerful Navi being brought to his knees as he clutched his glove in pain. "MegaMan, what's wrong?"

After Glyde's panicked observation that MegaMan had been infected, she tried to thrash out of the magnet, but to no avail. "Try again Gutsman! GET US OUT OF HERE!"

Yet even GutsMan was unable to break through the magnet, leaving MegaMan helpless. "Lan, use the Extracode!"

"No way; it only lasts a few minutes and it drains your energy. Last time it nearly destroyed you!"

"I know that! And still, there's no other way!" _Forgive me, Roll._

Lan relented, activating the code on the PET screen. As energy swept through him, MegaMan found the strength to stand up, as Roll watched in horror. "No, he didn't!" _What have you done?_

MegaMan activated the AquaCustom style and started a Program Advance, but even this style wasn't immune to the bug infecting MegaMan. He staggered, leaving MagnetMan to gloat about his weakened state before being grabbed by ElecMan. Finding the strength to focus, MegaMan fired the PRogram Advance, deleting both MagnetMan and ElecMan.

All his energy exhausted from both the Style Change and from fighting the bug, MegaMan collapsed as the magnets vanished, freeing Roll and the others. Roll wasted no time in running to his side, shouting his name in panic and fear. Gathering the young boy in her arms, she almost cried "Wake up, PLEASE MegaMan! JUST WAKE UP!" Yet no matter how roughly she shook, he wouldn't wake.

After IceMan deduced that MegaMan's data was disintegrating, GutsMan noticed a portal, which the others decided to use to escape. Roll let Glyde carry MegaMan as they jacked to Yai's PC, her eyes never leaving the unconscious Navi next to her.

 _End Flashback_

The tears flowed down her cheeks, her mind no longer having the energy to hold them back any longer. Roll banged her fist against the glass as she sobbed. "Why, you idiot? You promised me, Mega. You PROMISED that you wouldn't use it again. And what do you do? You go ahead and use it! And now look at where you are; unconscious and going to pieces! Was this worth it, Mega? WAS IT?"

She sunk to her knees, whatever language she was intending on using rendered useless by her sobs. "There wasn't much choice, Roll..."

Raising her head only slightly, the pink Navi curled up in a ball. "Go away, Maylu. I just want to be left alone right now..."

"I know you're upset, Roll, but sitting here and crying isn't going to solve anything. Besides, what would you have done if the roles were reversed? Everyone else was trapped against the wall; we couldn't even jack you guys out. MegaMan wasn't even able to move because of the bug infecting his systems, and even with the energy boost from the Extracode, he was barely able to aim. Nobody here is to blame, Roll. He had no choice but to use it; the only one at fault here is Bass for putting that bug in him."

"Bass? How did he put that bug in MegaMan?"

"Mr. Famous says that when Bass interfaced with MegaMan's memory, he inadvertently let a bug enter MegaMan's programming."

Roll looked down and clenched her fists. "...It's my fault. I was there with MegaMan when he woke up. I should have scanned him, I should have made him go home, I should have..." Roll sighed exasperatedly, trying to think of what else she should have done.

"Don't go blaming everything on yourself, Roll. You're starting to act like your boyfriend. None of us knew this would happen, so we couldn't have possibly predicted this. Besides..." Maylu looked away from the PET, gazing at Lan for a moment before refocusing on her Navi. "Lan's doing enough moping and self-loathing for all of us."

"But then...what do I do?" Roll hated feeling helpless; she just wanted to smash something.

"Yai set up a communal network at her PC; it's a hop away from MegaMan's recovery chamber. You go with the others and stay there for now. We'll call you guys if we need you, okay?"

Roll sighed before vanishing into data bits, taking one last glimpse of the fragmenting Navi before following her NetOp's command.

Roll paced back and forth, the status of MegaMan's condition and the sheer helplessness that she felt driving her crazy. Glyde, GutsMan, and IceMan all watched, feeling torn between their desire to help their friend, and their knowledge that the only one who could help Roll was fighting for his life in digital life support.

This dreadful scene dragged on for the next couple of hours, though to the group of Navis it may as well have been weeks of tension. Suddenly, Roll grasped her emblem in pain, her heart breaking. _No, what...what's happening?_

Before she could contemplate further, and before Glyde could run and ask what was wrong, a bright light overwhelmed them, engulfing the Navis in its rays.

And then it stopped, the light receding from whence it came, almost as if it had never appeared at all. _What...what happened?_ A visual of Maylu and the others appeared in the cyber room, showing the Blue Bomber's healthy return and the jubilancy of everyone in the room.

Laying a hand over her emblem, Roll closed her eyes and smiled before walking away. "Miss Roll!" Glyde exclaimed surprised at her reaction to MegaMan's revival. "Aren't you going to see MegaMan?"

Shaking her head, Roll replied "I don't know how MegaMan was revived, but from the looks of things, it's because of Lan that he's here today. Lan deserves his time with MegaMan." Winking, she finished "I'll see MegaMan in my own time, once everything's died down."

Glyde stared at her as she walked and jacked away, swirling in a swarm of data bits into Maylu's PET.

 _Later that evening_

Everyone was asleep in the real world, but on the Net one Navi was walking down the streets with a smile on her face. _Grave's gone, the Virus Beast is destroyed, and Wily's been sent packing!_ She was looking forward to a peaceful existence as Maylu's NetNavi and as friends with MegaMan.

 _No, not friends...more than friends…_ She was finally going to do it; she was finally going to tell her crush how she felt. Part of her still felt like she was getting cold feet, but she silenced that part of her and decided to do it now before her burst of courage left her. Approaching the familiar blue door, she knocked thrice. "...Mega?" No answer, Roll frowned. Slowly reaching for the knob, she thought _Maybe I'll just peek in…_ She turned the knob, opening the door and peeking her head in. "Mega? You there?" She slid in the entrance and gently closed the door behind her.

What she saw inside caused the young Navi to gasp as she covered her mouth with her hand. MegaMan was crouched in the corner next to the sofa, his head tucked in his knees and the faintest shimmers dropping from his face that Roll recognized as tears as he shook. _This doesn't make any sense; Maylu said that he was calm and happy when he reunited with Lan. What could have happened to him?_ She ran up to him and touched his shoulder to get his attention. "Mega?"

But as soon as she touched him, MegaMan gasped before swatting away her hand and backing away from her. "St...stay away from me, Roll. I'll only get you hurt!"

Roll was shellshocked, to say the least. She had seen him afraid and insecure, but never had he vocally refused help from her. Trying to smile, she refuted "Hurt me? Don't be ridiculous, Mega. You'd never hurt me..."

"I MEAN IT, ROLL!" MegaMan yelled as Roll tried to approach him again. Though his knees were shaking, as was the rest of him, he managed to stand up from his crouching position. "I know what I did, Roll. I remember everything after deleting MagnetMan. I thought it was just a dream at first, but it's real and I'm not safe for you to be around!"

 _What...what's going on? What's he talking about? He's not making one iota of sense…_ Before she could ponder any further, MegaMan's knees gave out and he started to fall. Roll immediately moved to catch him, feeling his breath against her emblem. Sh leaned into his ear and murmured "I'm not leaving you here to wallow in pity, Mega. Whatever happened after the AquaCustom Style, I'll help you face it. But you have to tell me what happened, because you're not making any sense right now."

MegaMan looked away, his eyes betraying the mixture of guilt and fear he felt. MegaMan sighed as he felt Roll gently place him against the wall and sit down next to him. She removed her gloves and also removed his, intertwining her right hand with his left. "I remember, being dimly aware of some giant compartment where my data was fragmenting, and then I vanished. All of a sudden, I reappeared in NetCity in front of the Virus Beast. I had activated some kind of Style Change, Famous called it Bug Style."

 _Another style change? I wonder how many more there are…_

Before Roll could ponder any further, MegaMan continued "The Virus Beast tried to absorb me, but instead I deleted it somehow. But..." MegaMan shook as he exclaimed "But I couldn't stop! I kept absorbing data from the entire Net! I had no control; all I could do was destroy everything in my path! I thought it was just a bad dream at first, but now I remember it, that it was real!"

 _That must have been where that bright light came from…_ She lay her left hand on his shoulder as she tried to soothe him "But Mega, you didn't mean to destroy anything..."

"That's not the point, Roll. As long as the Bug Style Program is inside of me, it could awaken again. I could destroy everything; I could destroy everyone I care for and have no control over it! I just want it out!"

MegaMan hiccuped as tears came out of his eyes; Roll took pity on him as she reached over and drew him into an embrace. "How can you be so nice to me? I broke my promise to you, and I'm an abomination of a program."

Roll smiled as she stroked his cheek. "Mega, you are many things, but an abomination is certainly not one of them. And I'm not mad at you; I wasn't exactly in a position to keep my end of it..." She flashed back to her tantrum after his collapse as she finished "Besides, I let off a little steam, and now I'm fine. We're all fine." A thought came to her as MegaMan finally returned her embrace. "I've got an idea. Why don't we go to SciLab tomorrow and have Dr. Hikari remove the Bug Style from your programming? Then you'd never have to worry about it ever again!"

"Sounds like...a great idea..." MegaMan yawned, nestling his head against her emblem as he dozed off.

 _Could Dr. Hikari really...fix me?_

 _Dream_

A brown haird boy lay unconscious, tubes flowing to his body and his heart beating erratically. A man in a white coat ran his hand through the boy's hair. "Don't worry, I'll fix you. I promise..."

 _End Dream_

 _The Next Day_

"I'm sorry guys, but I just can't remove Bug Style completely. It's completely hard-coded into MegaMan's data. If I tried to alter his core code, then there's a chance he could be deleted forever."

MegaMan looked down, depressed at the news as he sat in the Navi Repair module at SciLab. "So I can't ever be rid of it?" _I knew it was too good to be true..._

"No, though I was able to make the activation requirements more stringent so that the chances of it activating are decreased. I also took the liberty of reducing the side-effects of the AquaCustom Style so that if you use it, you'll no longer be at risk of deletion, and you'll be able to use it for longer bursts without tiring."

MegaMan looked to Roll who was standing to the side of MegaMan's module and nodded to her. "That should be good" Roll piped. _At least now he can use all of his power that he can control._

MegaMan slowly nodded, still not quite ecstatic, but content enough to go home. Stepping out of the pod, he walked to the waiting Roll, hugging her. Blushing, he pulled away to face her. "Thanks for knocking some sense into me, Roll. I needed that."

Roll blushed at the praise and held out her hand. "Ready to go home, Mega?"

Nodding the blue Navi took her hand and jacked them to Lan's PC. Roll ended up not following through on telling him how she felt that day, but with both World Three and Grave behind them, she was confident that there'd be other chances. _A lifetime's worth of chances._


End file.
